Even At My Most Jaded, I Still Had Hope
by Sarifina85
Summary: What if Sookie wasn't raised by Gran and went through the foster system instead after her parents died? Sookie hasn't been back to Bon Temps since she was 7 years old but she's no longer the same girl who left town. AU and canon.
1. Jaded Me

**This is a new story I'm starting. It's just a little storyline that popped into my head, and I thought it would be fun to write. Please let me know what you guys think so far!**

**Thanks! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!**

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**Chapter 1: Jaded Me**

I carefully considered the cards in front of me.

With a shrug of my shoulders, I said, "Hit me."

The dealer dealt another card, bringing my total to 19. I motioned that I would stand, and waited for the dealer to dole out cards to the other two players at the table. My mind was already busy calculating my winnings as well as carefully keeping track of the remaining cards in the deck.

Even before the dealer turned up his "hole" card, I knew he only had 17. Since the dealer had to stay on 17 or higher, I knew I had won another hand, netting myself even more money for the night.

I guess I should point out just how I knew the dealer only had 17. Well there is counting cards, and I've gotten to be fair at it, if I do say so myself, but even the best card counter can't say for 100% what a card is going to be. I can't 100% of the time either, but if the dealer looks at their hole card—well, that's a different story. When the dealer's visible card is either a face card or an ace, the dealer has to look at their hole card (the one face down) to see if they have Blackjack. This happens about five out of every thirteen hands. And those times it does happen … well, then I _can_ say 100% of the time what the dealer's card is. And it ain't by counting cards.

Maybe I should step back even further to point out just how I can know this. See, I've never been what you'd call normal. I was born with what my mother called a "little disability," and she was sure right about that, but over the years I've learned how to turn it into at least some advantages. It seemed only fair after all.

I was born telepathic. As in hear the thoughts of others. Yeah. May sound interesting, but trust me, for the most part, it's a pain in the ass. It may help me out sometimes, but mostly it only hindered me. All I'd ever wanted growing up was to be normal. But since we can't change what we are, it's best to make do with what is.

Some might say that using my telepathy to win money playing Blackjack was wrong, but I figured it was only fair. It wasn't like my telepathy made it very easy for me to hold down a "real" job. I couldn't count the number of times I'd learned something about one of my bosses and had to quit or told them something I shouldn't have and was fired.

Most of the time, I only hit the casinos like this when I really needed the money to get by. And if I was really thinking about moving back to Bon Temps and actually settling down, I was going to need the money until I could figure out what I was doing.

I stayed at the Blackjack table for another hour. The dealer had just rotated out, a new dealer having been told by the pit boss to change out with him early. From reading both dealers' minds, I could see that they didn't know why they were being made to rotate ahead of schedule, but it was enough for me to decide to call it a night and go to the cage to collect my winnings.

It had been a lucky night. Between what card counting skills I had and my telepathy, I'd done pretty well. Since it was only about 38% of the time that I could actually use my telepathy to read the dealer, I was left to chance and card counting the rest of the time. Still, between the three factors, I managed to cash out with a little over two thousand dollars. That should be more than enough to get me settled in at Bon Temps if that was what I chose to do, or at the very least tie up loose ends before I moved on again.

As I moved through the crowded floor of the Starlight Casino, headed for the back parking lot, my mind was running through the events of the past several weeks that brought me back to northern Louisiana. And in specific, at my stopping point at the Starlight in Bossier City. In some ways, I guess it was the events of the past several years that led me to this point.

My parents had passed away in a flash-flood when I was only seven. My Gran had wanted to take me and my older brother Jason in, but the state had deemed her to be an unstable home as she was in failing health. Instead, we'd ended up in foster care. Gran had passed away only a few years later.

Living in foster care had been rough. No. It had been hell.

Since I wasn't exactly normal, I'd always had trouble fitting in and folks had a real hard time being around me. I knew too much and as kids will do, I tended to repeat the things I'd hear. Truthfully, it freaked most people out. I was labeled a "trouble maker" pretty early on, so the state decided to split me and Jason up in the hopes of placing us both with foster families more easily.

When Jason turned eighteen, he returned to Bon Temps. I hadn't seen him or talked to him since I was seven.

Over the years, I went through a lot of bad foster care parents—some worse than others—but eventually I got placed with an old woman near Bonita, Louisiana. She reminded me a lot of what I remembered about my Gran. She'd been a little uncomfortable with my unusual nature, but Jeanie was mostly accepting of me. She didn't have any other foster kids because of her age, and I stayed with her for six years, until I turned eighteen and the state made me move out.

For the next eight years, I moved around the country from place to place. I didn't like staying in one place too long, but then, Jeanie told me I had trust issues. Maybe I did.

Mostly I got work waitressing. It was easy enough work to do and you could find work waitressing just about anywhere. Plus, waitressing was pretty much the same at any bar, restaurant or club. Waitressing also made great practice for my telepathy. I had to be around people on a daily basis to practice keeping my shields up so I didn't have to hear every thought of every person around me. Otherwise, I might have really become the "Crazy Sookie" most of the foster system knew me as.

When times were tough and I was in a jamb and really needing the money, I'd just head to a casino. Poker was easier to make money at since I could read the minds of all the players and know exactly what all of the cards were, but sometimes I liked the challenge of Blackjack since I couldn't count on my telepathy alone.

I was in-between jobs and moving from my last short-term residence in Springfield, Missouri, so I had decided to swing south and stop in to see Jeanie in Bonita. It had been almost two years since I'd last stopped by to see her, so I'd been looking forward to the visit.

I was surprised to find a letter waiting for me when I dropped in. She told me it had come for me almost three months before, but she didn't have a way of getting a hold of me to send it on.

Turned out, my Great-Uncle Bartlett, who had been in charge of my Gran's estate after she died, had recently passed on himself. My Gran's will had evidently stipulated that my folks' place was to go to my brother when he turned eighteen, and her home was suppose to go to me when I turned eighteen. I'd never known since I'd left the state as soon as I came to age. From the letter I received from Bartlett's lawyer, it seemed he'd taken possession of my Gran's house after she died and I hadn't returned home. His will had left the stipulation that the house would go to me if I returned to claim it. The letter said I had six months to make my claim.

It had been a long time since I'd had a home. Even as nice as Jeanie had been to me, it hadn't been a home. I figured I'd return to Bon Temps and at least see if it couldn't be home again. At the very least, I figured I could spit on Uncle Bartlett's grave.

My thoughts were still focused on how satisfying it would feel to get that little bit of revenge on Uncle Bartlett when a cold hand clamped down on my wrist.

"You'll be coming with me," a gravelly voice said.

I didn't turn around; one hand was still on the door to the outside. I could see my beat-up little blue sedan parked only one row back. I just needed to reach it and I was home free.

"I don't think so. I was just leaving," I quickly replied.

The cold hand spun me around. Too late, I realized why his hand was cold. My shields had been firmly in place from my walk through the main floor of the casino, but I dropped it as I took in the vampire gripping my arm. He was only a little taller than me, but the snarl on his face sure made him seem bigger. He was dressed in black pants and a black long-sleeved shirt with brown hair slicked back from his face. He might have been handsome if his lips hadn't been pulled back in a snarl, exposing a hint of sharp fangs.

Instinctively, I reached out with my mind to see what his intentions were, only to be met with silence. After experiences I'd had with foster parents, I wasn't willing to go anywhere near vampires and had always been able to avoid them until now. I knew from seeing them at a distance that their skin had a sort of glow to it, but every time I'd seen that telltale glow, I'd made tracks in the other direction.

The vampire's hand tightened around my wrist as he propelled me in front of him down a hallway off to my right. Before I could form a response, I was pushed into a small, grey-colored room. I quickly noted it seemed soundproof and had no windows. Another vampire was sitting almost leisurely in a chair in front of a table. The vampire that had been manhandling me shoved me into the chair on the opposite side of the table. I knew better than to physically challenge a vampire—I'd heard how strong they were—but I was still sorely tempted to kick the snarling vampire in the shin.

"Thank you, Winston. You may wait outside," the seated vampire calmly said.

I almost chuckled at hearing the snarling vampire's name, it certainly didn't sound like the typical vampire's name, but I knew better than to say or do anything for the moment.

Instead, I looked at the seated vampire. His skin gave that telltale glow too, but for the most part, he was very ordinary looking. The kind of person that you could see or even talk to for a while and then they could just disappear in a crowd. He was however dressed in an expensive looking dark blue pinstripe suit. As he leaned back in the chair across from me, he unbuttoned his suit jacket with one hand and leaned back comfortably.

"Tell me who else you are working with and who is running your little group," the vampire commanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I answered truthfully. "I'm not working with or for anyone."

The vampire studied me carefully, still comfortably leaned back in his chair. He crossed one leg over his knee as he folded his hands over his stomach.

"I know you and those dealers cannot be working alone. I have questioned them both, but neither is able to tell me about your operation, meaning they must have been heavily glamored to keep them from answering my questions. So it is quite apparent that another vampire is organizing this. I want to know who," he replied. His voice was low and deadly as he leaned forward and braced his hands on the table between us.

I'd heard enough about vampires to know that glamor was some form of hypnosis, but I was still having trouble following his reasoning.

"Look, I don't know any of your dealers, and I sure don't know any vampires," I told him earnestly.

He leaned forward even more and drew in a deep breath. Almost to himself he said, "You do not smell of vampire." He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then added, his voice raising as he spoke, "You must have been working with those two dealers. It is not possible that you simply got that lucky. How did you know what the cards were? How were those dealers signaling you?" His hand slammed down on the table, leaving a sizeable dent in the metal. "It is not wise to cheat in a vampire owned casino!" he shouted.

_Well, no shit. I wouldn't have come in here if I'd known it was vampire owned_, I thought to myself.

"I'm just traveling on my way through from Missouri. I don't know anyone here," I answered. I'd long ago learned that giving bits of truth was the best way to lie.

Before I could even register the movement, the vampire had come around the table, grabbing me by the neck and dragging me backwards out of my chair to pin me against the wall. My feet dangled in the air as he growled up at me. All pretense of civility was gone, replaced by unadulterated rage.

"Tell me now how you cheated that money from this casino," he growled.

My eyes couldn't help but focus on his elongated fangs. I could feel something pressing on my mind as he stared into my eyes. It didn't take a genius to figure that I needed to give him some answers and quick.

"I was counting cards. No one helped me," I said in a wheezing voice. Again, it was a half-truth, but hopefully it was convincing enough.

The vampire dropped me to my feet and I collapsed roughly to the floor on my knees, unable to keep my balance. I took deep sucking breaths in as my vision blurred and bright colors flashed behind my eyelids. As I struggled to regain my breath while cradling my aching throat, the vampire paced a few steps before throwing the door open with a thud.

"Winston! Get in here and get this woman out of my sight," he shouted down the hall. Turning back towards me, he said, "You would be wise never to set foot in this casino again. I do not care to have even a small amount of money cheated from me."

Well, counting cards wasn't really illegal, but no casino on earth liked it, and they could ask you to leave if they caught you, but I wasn't about to correct this vampire.

Grateful tears blurred my eyes at his words. I was surprised to realize just how afraid I had actually been that my cheating in a vampire casino might be what finally did me in.

This time, when Winston came in to drag me out of the room, I went more than willingly. I'd sure as hell learned my lesson. Humans may not be quick enough to catch on, but vampires weren't so easy to fool. I'd make damn sure not to cheat in any casino that was vampire owned, or even vampire affiliated in any way again.

My hopes at getting away from this casino and never looking back were dashed when I realized the parking lot Winston was dragging me to was almost deserted and definitely not where I had parked. Something was very wrong, so I started digging my heels in and yelling.

I found myself once again slammed against a wall, this time with a hand clamped over my mouth.

"Quiet, bitch!" Winston snarled. I felt that strange pressing on my mind again as he stared into my eyes.

He lowered his hand and I began screaming again. It was quickly quieted though by Winston's fist connecting against my jaw. As I pressed a hand over my jaw, I tasted the coppery tang of my own blood filling my mouth and trickling out at the corner. Straightening up and looking back at the vampire pushing me against the wall, I saw his face morph from a mask of confusion to what seemed like pleasure.

He closed his eyes and inhaled. "You smell sweet," he said quietly, his fangs visibly running out.

My yell for help was cut-off by his hand closing over my mouth and wrenching my head to the side as he struck at my neck.

As Winston drew deeply on my neck, I continued trying to scream, the noises coming out muffled. My hands flailed uselessly, trying to bat him away from my neck.

My strength was draining as I realized this would indeed be my end. I would be drained to death, all because I hadn't been smart enough to make sure the casino I was cheating was human owned and run.

"Just what are you doing, Winston?" a deep voice asked.

As Winston pulled his fangs from my neck, I felt my eyes roll backwards and darkness descended.


	2. It Might Be Hope

**Chapter 2: It Might Be Hope**

I knew I was floating somewhere between the state of sleep and waking. For several moments, I could not figure out why there were voices under the sea. As the voices became clearer, I began to realize I wasn't swimming underwater with the turtles—don't ask me why I was swimming with turtles—and that the voices were coming from somewhere outside of my dream. And thank goodness, because turtles give me the creeps! I couldn't figure out why I'd be swimming with them in the first place.

Still hovering in a state of half-sleep, I let the dream fade away and strained to focus on what the voices were saying.

"…found the girl being drained by that fool Winston. I warned him once again that if I found him getting carried away with a human I would end him," a deep, slightly accented voice said. His voice was laced with obvious frustration.

A woman's voice cut in. "You should end him anyway, Eric. If you send me to clean up one more of his messes I'll end him myself."

I could hear what sounded like papers being shuffled around. Then the woman's voice continued, "So, you've paid for Ludwig to tend to the girl, now what will you do with her?"

There was a long, suffering sigh, and from the deep tone of it, it came from the man. "When she comes around I'll glamor her and send her on her way. Winston is lucky this human had been caught counting cards in the casino or I might have ended him. I'm willing to overlook his indiscretion since the human was so foolish as to try cheating one of our casinos, but I cannot leave the memory in her mind. I think I'll also instill in her an aversion to ever returning to our casino. Let her try her little stunt in another casino somewhere else…" His voice began to fade away as the sound of a closing door cut off his voice altogether.

_Yeah, cause I really would have tried that in a casino I knew was vampire owned, asshole_, my mind supplied.

The sound of the door shutting was enough to bring me fully awake, but still I laid there for a moment with my eyes closed. I couldn't hear anything, and as I reached out with my mind, I was hit with a wave of drunken lust. My mind was still a little foggy and it took several moments of trying to push the minds away to throw my shields back in place.

_I wonder if he'll bite me again tonight._

_Man, these drinks are really over-priced, but at least the vamps are smokin' hot._

_Damn, that chick looks like she's gonna bite someone's hand off._

_He's so hot; I wish he would bite me._

Finally, I was able to push my shields back in place and push the thoughts from my mind. From what I had seen and heard in the drunken minds, this appeared to be a bar, and I was putting my money on it being one of those vampire themed or maybe even owned ones. And that was for damn sure not somewhere I wanted to be.

Opening my eyes, I saw I was laid out on a black leather couch with something sticking out of my arm. The plastic tubing ran up to a bag nearly empty of blood that was sitting on the back of the couch. I gingerly pulled the tape and needle from my arm, rubbing the area where the needle had been inserted to stop the small trickle of blood.

My other hand slowly lifted to my neck to feel gauze and bandaging taped to the side of my throat. It hurt like hell, but I still felt better than I thought I would for nearly being drained to death. Guess it was my lucky night. Oh yeah, I was just having _all_ the luck tonight.

I appeared to be in an office, and going by the fact that it was a bit quieter, but I could still hear the bar music playing in the background, I was guessing it was an office in the back of the bar. Suddenly I spotted my purse and keys sitting on the edge of the desk.

My purse was open, and had obviously been gone through, but surprisingly, the money from the casino was still there. Without a second thought, I grabbed the purse and my keys and made a beeline for the closed door. No way was I waiting around for that vampire to come back and "glamor" me. I was also thanking my stars that I had my other ID in the purse. My real ID was hidden away in my car. Or at least I hoped it still was. I hardly ever used my real ID as I traveled around.

I counted my blessings once again for having found Chase Barton, who had lots of connections with crooked government officials, and had gotten me a fake Alabama driver's license. I always used it at casinos, just in case I did get caught. Hell, over the years, I'd been using it more than my real license.

As I considered what the male voice—and I was starting to think he was a vampire too—had said, I was starting to think that whatever glamor was, it was probably that strange pressing feeling I had sensed in my mind. I sure hadn't felt compelled to do anything like people said happened if a vampire hypnotized you, but I wasn't about to wait around and see for sure what it felt like. Other people might have been excited about vampires when they came out of the coffin two years ago, but I knew from experience that anything older than you—and therefore more experienced—was just more likely to know how to dominate and manipulate you. And I wanted no part of that.

Looking down at my clothes, I was amazed at how clean I still looked. I had expected to see the shoulder and front of my blue long-sleeved shirt stained with blood, but there was only a small drop, I was guessing from when Winston hit me. Guess I should be thankful Winston was such a neat eater. Yeah, I was _real_ thankful for _that_.

Pushing out slightly with my mind, I searched outside the door to see if anyone was nearby. I couldn't find anyone, but I remembered that those two vampires' minds from the casino had been silent. Were all vampires' minds silent?

As I carefully pushed the door open, I kept expecting vampires to jump out from every corner and every shadow. But thankfully, I made my way to a door to the outside without seeing anyone. I definitely wasn't at the casino anymore, but I was beginning to think that I might be having a bit of luck after all when I saw my beat-up car parked at the end of the staff parking lot. Or at least that's what the sign said. I wasn't sure how it got here, or how I did for that matter, but I wasn't hanging around to ask anyone.

I slid into my car, and saw that all of my things seemed to be undisturbed. Before anyone could come along and discover I was missing, I had thrown my car in gear, and made tracks for the closest interstate or highway I could find.

_Maybe I was having some luck tonight._

_

* * *

_

My luck continued and the random direction I started driving in, just happened to be the interstate towards Bon Temps. After I'd been on the interstate a few minutes, I'd been able to determine that I had been in Shreveport. But again, I wasn't hanging around to ask someone how I'd gotten across the river from Bossier City. Some things were better left alone.

I pulled off at the exit, and was amazed when I managed to drive to Gran's old house from memory. I'd forgotten the name of the road, Hummingbird Lane, but I'd remembered how to get there. I was also happy to see that my real ID was still tucked away underneath the upholstery on the floorboard in the back.

The outside of the house was peeling and the roof looked like it probably needed to be replaced. But all in all, it wasn't much worse than some of the apartments I had lived in.

I knew from the letter that the lawyer had sent me that no one had lived in the house since my Gran had died (Uncle Bartlett had continued living at his own place) but that my brother Jason had come by from time to time to look after it for Uncle Bartlett.

The doors of course were locked, but I vaguely remembered Gran keeping a spare key under the rocking chair on the porch, and it still happened to be there. Even more surprising was that the electricity was turned on, though the house was a bit dusty.

What really shocked me was the wave of old memories that hit me as I walked around the house. I could remember my Gran making pies in the kitchen on Sundays, and my father coming over to mow the lawn or chop wood for Gran. I remembered Gran reading me stories at bedtime and tucking me in at night. I had really felt loved here.

It surprised me the things that I remembered. Things I hadn't thought of or recalled in years. I had originally been thinking I would sell this place, take the money, and then move on. But maybe I could stay here for a while. Maybe this could be home.

Whatever I decided to do, I figured I'd spend the night here. I didn't want to sleep on any of the old linens, but there had been old sheets covering most of the furniture, and when I uncovered the old sofa, I found that it was pretty clean. I drug in some old blankets and pillows from my car and collapsed on the couch in exhaustion.

It had been one hell of a night, but strangely, I felt like I was finally home.

* * *

It was three days later when a nock came at the door. I dropped the scrub brush on the floor of the kitchen where I had been scouring at the years of collected dirt. I grumbled to myself as I went to the backdoor, rubbing at the nearly healed marks on my neck. Whatever the white ointment had been on the bandaging had really worked wonders on my neck. I'd peeled the bandage away the next morning, expecting to look like a bad horror movie reject, and found the skin to be pink and shiny where it was healing over the bite mark. Now the marks were nearly gone, and I doubted it would even leave a scar. It was amazing really.

I shook my head as I made my way to the door, if this was one more old friend of Gran's who was coming by to "welcome" me home, I think I was gonna decide to pack up and move on.

I appreciated their sentiment, and the casseroles and hot dishes they brought over were great to have since I hadn't been grocery shopping yet, or even got any of the appliances in the kitchen besides the refrigerator going, but I was sick of that being the excuse for their nosiness. Maxine Fortenberry had been by far the worst, asking a million questions, almost none of which I'd really answered. I swear, if this was what having a home meant, maybe I was better off moving every few months or years or so.

The backdoor swung open in my hand with a huff, but it wasn't another little old lady waiting. Staring back at me was a handsome young man, with a face similar to the one I saw in the mirror every day. I could feel his nervousness rolling off him, and knew in an instant that this was Jason.

He looked me up and down, I'm sure taking in the sight of my dirty cleaning clothes. I was wearing stained jeans that had been cut-off at the knee and an old ratty t-shirt that I'd cut the sleeves off of years ago. My hair was pulled back in a messy bun with the stray hairs being held back by an old blue bandana. It wasn't exactly the best outfit for seeing your brother again for the first time in almost 19 years, but in my defense, it wasn't like I'd known he was coming.

Looking up and down at him, I felt a little less self-conscious of my ensemble when I saw he was wearing an old worn and stained pair of jeans, work boots, and a t-shirt with its sleeves cut off as well. Hell, we fit right in with each other.

"Sweet Jesus. Is that really you, Sook?" he asked, disbelief tingeing his voice.

The corner of my mouth drew up at the nickname. I'd almost forgotten that as well. I nodded and said, "Yeah, it's really me, Jase."

He started forward, stopped, then closed the rest of the distance, pulling me into an awkward hug. He stepped back after a moment and we both looked at each other, casting about for what to say to each other.

"I heard during my lunch break that you'd moved back to town and I came right over to see if it was true. Why didn't you come see me as soon as you came back?" he finally asked.

I shrugged and answered truthfully, "I guess I just didn't think of it yet. I figured I'd get around to it eventually. I've been a little busy fixing this place up." I jerked my hand towards the inside to indicate all of the cleaning I'd been working on for the past three days.

Again, there was a strained silence, so I stepped back from the door and gestured inside. "Why don't you come in for a bit? I don't have a lot to offer, but I do have some sweet tea that Mrs. Stevens, I think it was, brought over."

He shrugged, but stepped over the threshold and followed me into the kitchen. I poured us both glasses, thankful that I had gotten around to washing all of the dishes I found the day before, and we sat across from each other at the kitchen table.

Jason took a long drink from his glass and seemed to be struggling with what to say. I thought about dipping into his head, and most of the time I would have done it, but for some reason, it felt wrong to since he was the only family I had left.

"How come it took you so long to come home?" he finally asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, leaning forward in confusion.

"You've been gone for years. I know you had to stay wherever the state put you when we were in foster care, but why didn't you come home when you turned 18? I tried looking for you a couple of times, but I never could find you."

I was shocked to realize there was hurt coming from him.

"I guess it never occurred to me to come back. I was only 7 when we got split up. I was just used to living on my own I guess." I shrugged, not knowing what else to say. It was strange to sit across from Jason, knowing he was my brother, but feeling like there was very little connection there. I knew we were family, but I'd grown up alone. My head knew he was my brother, but my heart knew I didn't have any family.

He was silent for a moment, and then he said, "I wish you'd come back sooner. I missed you." He looked up from the table at me and added with a sad smile, "But I guess you were so little you probably don't really remember me do you?"

As much as it might hurt, I answered truthfully. "Just a handful of memories. There's not a lot I remember from before. Just snippets here and there, though being back in this house has brought back a few."

He nodded sadly. "I always felt like I failed you for letting them split us up and not being able to find you. I wondered if you were all right all these years. I'm glad to see you look real good."

I was floored by his guilt. "Jason, you can't hold yourself responsible for that. I was a 'difficult' kid," I said, using the term they'd always labeled me with, "there was no way they could keep us together. You were just a kid yourself. There was nothing you could have done."

"I guess. Where'd you end up?" he asked, some of his guilt slipping away. I could see from his memories that he knew I was different, but all these years later, he'd convinced himself that all the social workers were right and I was just a "difficult" child. It hurt that he didn't believe in what I could do, but maybe it was better if he didn't.

"Oh, all over for several years, but when I was 12, I finally ended up with a real nice lady over in Bonita. How 'bout you?"

"I lived with a family over in Ruston for a little bit, but then I ended back up with the Clarks here in Bon Temps till I turned 18. Then I moved back into the folks' place," he replied, relaxing a bit and leaning back in his chair.

We spent a few moments talking about living with foster families we'd liked when I realized what time it was getting to be.

"It must be well after your lunch break, don't you have to be getting back to work? I don't want you getting fired."

"Aw, don't worry. When I heard that you had moved back, I asked the guys to cover for me. I'm boss of the road crew anyway, so I can get away with taking the afternoon off, especially when my long-lost sister comes back to town," he laughed. "I only wish we knew where Hadley was too or what happened to her."

"Hadley? Oh! Cousin Hadley. Shoot, I haven't thought of her in years. What happened to her?" My memory was sketchy of her, but I seemed to remember that she had been living with Aunt Linda. A memory of my mother telling me that Aunt Linda was sick with cancer surfaced in my mind. I figured that was probably why we didn't move in with her when our parents died.

"Well, Aunt Linda managed to hang on for a couple of years; you remember she was real sick with cancer, right?" I nodded since I had at least vaguely remembered it. "And after she died, Hadley was put in the system too. I tried looking for her a couple of times too, but she seemed to disappear."

I could tell from thoughts that pushed past my shields that Jason had really missed Hadley and had been close with her. I didn't have more than a couple of memories of her, so it was hard to feel sympathetic with him. She was just another stranger to me. Even farther removed than he was.

"Well Sook, the place is sure looking better," he said, looking around with an admiring eye.

I smiled, pride filling me. "There may be a lot of things I can't do or fix, but I've cleaned my way into some real rat hole apartments over the years. I know how to put some elbow grease into cleaning and make a place look darn good again."

He looked around with an appraising eye. "Is there something you're needing fixed?"

"Honestly, I've mostly just been working on cleaning so far. I got the fridge cleaned out and running pretty easy, but things like the stove and washer and dryer, I really don't know about. I've never worked on a gas stove before, and the apartments I lived in always had community washers and dryers or you went to a Laundromat, so I'm not sure how to get them up and running again."

He quickly made his way to the stove and started looking it over. "Well, I can see you got the water turned on for the house, but why don't you let me take a look at a few things and see what I can help you with."

My mind instantly reached out to see what his motives were. I could hardly hold back the tears when I saw that he just wanted to help me out. Because I was his sister. No one ever helped me just because of who I was to them.

"I'd really appreciate that." I managed to say in a steady voice. It would be nice to at least get the stove and oven going, so I wasn't just eating the leftovers cold, straight from the fridge.

Hours later, I had managed to do some more cleaning in the house and I was now currently standing on the porch, handing tools to Jason as he tried to get the washing machine running. He'd rebalanced the drum, and was now finishing repairing some fittings on the hoses.

"So, have you found a place to work yet?" Jason asked over his shoulder.

"Not yet. I met with the lawyer yesterday to start paperwork for the house, and I've been spending the rest of my time cleaning."

"What kind of work are you looking for?"

"Probably waitressing. It's what I've mostly done over the years, so I've got lots of experience," I answered as I handed him another wrench from the toolbox he'd hauled in from his pickup.

"Well, Sam's always looking for help at his place. It's Merlotte's Bar and Grill. Me and the boys eat lunch there sometimes and have drinks there too when we can. I can put in a good word with Sam if you want." I knew where it was, I'd seen it several times as I drove by it. It wasn't too far from the house.

I shrugged and handed him the Teflon tape to keep water from leaking around the hose threads. "That's okay. I can get work on my own."

Too late I realized that I had gotten too comfortable working and talking with my newfound relative and my shields had slipped. Jason had been thinking about needing the Teflon tape, but he hadn't asked me for it yet. His mind was a fairly strong broadcaster, so it took a constant effort to keep his thoughts out.

"You really can read minds, can't you? We were all right about it back then, weren't we?" he asked, sitting up and looking at me. I could tell he was uncomfortable, but I had to give him credit for catching on. He seemed a bit slow at times, but he was smarter than I figured most people gave him credit for. Hell, I gave him credit just for not tucking tail and running as soon as he realized I read his mind.

"Yeah, I can Jason. But it's not something I talk about, or like for other people to know," I finally responded. It wasn't like I could lie now.

Surprisingly, he just nodded and laid back down on his side to reach behind the washer. His reply came out muffled. "I figured as much. I remember Mom and Dad always telling me not to talk about it with my friends. Don't worry, Sookie. I won't tell no one."

I let my shields down a bit, just to make sure he was sincere.

He sat up a bit again to look at me. "Just make sure you stay out of my mind. Probably all sorts of things that aren't fit for you to hear," he said gruffly.

I actually felt a faint blush tinge my cheeks as I pulled away from his mind, feeling like I was caught red-handed. "I'll do my best to stay out, but I assure you, I've seen far worse than anything in your mind."

"I bet you have," he laughed as he turned his attentions back to the washer.

* * *

By that evening, Jason had managed to fix many of the major issues around the house and promised to come by that weekend to help me tackle several more things and even bring me an old microwave and TV he wasn't using. In no time at all, I could tell this place was going to start looking pretty livable. Maybe even homey.

"What are your plans going to be for the night?" Jason asked me as I walked him to the back door.

"Actually, since you got the showerhead working in the bathroom, I thought I would take a shower and go on in to Merlotte's and see about getting a job there."

The money I'd made from the casino in Bossier City would last for a little while yet, but I was already making a dent in it with supplies for the house, and I'd agreed to pay for tin for the roof if Jason and a couple of his friends could put it up. So the money wouldn't last too long. I was either going to need to make another foray to a casino—something I was a little leery about doing after the last time—or get on finding a real job.

"I was gonna meet Hoyt there later anyway, so maybe I'll see ya there. Good luck, tell Sam he's a fool if he don't hire ya," he said with a lopsided grin.

I smiled in return, and this time when he hugged me, I fondly returned it, even if it still felt a bit strange to me. It might take a while, but maybe I could figure this family thing out yet.

* * *

"When can you start?" Sam Merlotte hopefully asked me, when I went in that night to ask about a job. He ran a hand through his shaggy strawberry blond hair as he waited for me to respond.

We'd met in his office to go over my experience, and since one of his waitresses hadn't shown up for work, he was desperate for help.

"I can start right now," I assured him.

He smiled gratefully and reached into a box in the closet to dig out a white t-shirt that had the logo of the bar across one breast. "Usually the waitresses wear shorts in the summer and black pants in the winter, but what you're wearing will do just fine for tonight," he informed me. "You can leave your purse on one of the shelves in the closet here too, and change in the restroom down the hall."

"Thanks," I confidently replied as I left to change. My khaki pants didn't really go with the black short shorts the rest of the girls were wearing, but thankfully, I'd worked at other bars with similar dress codes so I would be able to get by with what I already owned for my uniform.

I relieved a grateful older woman named Charlsie, and quickly familiarized myself with the simple menu and layout of the bar. I could feel the curious stares of the patrons all night as they came and went, and hear the rumors spread through their minds and mouths as they whispered about the Stackhouse girl coming back to town. But it was all easy to ignore. I'd gotten used to the curious looks and thoughts every time I moved to somewhere new, especially in small towns.

And even though I was tired by the time the bar closed from cleaning all day and slinging beers all night, I found myself really smiling. I actually owned a house for the first time in my life and I really felt like I had a home again. And now, I had a home, job, and family. Things were beginning to look up.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know, there wasn't really any Eric in there. At least we didn't see him, but remember: all good things come in time. It was kind of a filler chapter, but it was needed to step forward. **


	3. Jaded Are My Wings

**Chapter 3: Jaded Are My Wings**

It had been three weeks since I started working at Merlotte's, but the locals were still incessantly wondering and gossiping about me. They wondered to themselves and to each other where I'd been for so many years and if I was still as strange as I had been as a child.

Apparently, it was common knowledge that Jason and I had been split up since I was a "trouble" child, but no one had a clear grasp as to just what made me different. General consensus of course was that I had been crazy—God I had forgotten that nickname—and to themselves at least, still dubbed me Crazy Sookie. Course it didn't help that I was having so much trouble blocking their thoughts and was compensating by wearing a too bright smile to hide what I was hearing.

I hadn't had this much trouble with my shields in years, but then again, it had been a long time since I had been anywhere where so many thoughts were focused on me. It just made it that much harder to block out thoughts when they were about you and focused on you. It was as if the whole room of people was shouting at me at the same time. If they would all just start thinking about something or someone else, I would be able to block them out as I usually could.

I couldn't wait for the next piece of gossip to get started around town so folks could focus on that. Would it be wrong of me to dip into a few people's heads to find some good gossip to get the old rumor-mill started myself?

"You okay, cher?" Sam asked as he stepped through the backdoor of Merlotte's, startling me from my thoughts.

I pushed away from the side of the bar where I had been leaning and trying to shore up my shields to finish the night. "I'm fine, Sam. Just stepped out for a minute to get some fresh air."

I knew it couldn't be someone at my tables needing something—I'd just come outside. Besides, things were winding down and we'd just gotten rid of a few of the hardcore drunks. But I guess I could start on some of the cleanup for the night, and do some of the prep work to get things ready for tomorrow's lunch shift.

I was just starting to walk past Sam to make my way back inside when he lightly grabbed my arm to stop me. I could instantly feel desire coming from him, but it was laced with curiosity. So far, I had only caught a few stray thoughts from Sam's mind—not that I was trying to. I liked to stay out of people's heads unless they give me a reason to need to.

Sam had been real pleasant and friendly, and since I liked the environment of Merlotte's (except for the nosey locals) I was doing my best to keep out of his mind so I wouldn't find something that would make it too uncomfortable for me to keep working here.

But catching that wave of Sam's feelings—his desire—had surprised me. There weren't really thoughts with it this time, at least they were too tangled for me to really recognize. I'd come across a few people with somewhat similarly feeling minds before, but I never knew what made their minds so different.

Sure I dipped into people's minds if I felt threatened in anyway, but if it was someone I was hoping to work for, be friends with, or just be around for any length of time—well then it was kind of self-defense to stay out of their minds. You wouldn't be able to make friends with anyone if you knew what thoughts were going through their heads all the time. Sometimes I'd let my shields down just enough to get a sense of their intentions.

And dating? Well, that was just impossible. Too much physical contact involved. That made thoughts come through loud and clear, and it was a huge turn-off to know that your date was wondering if the carpet matched the drapes or wishing your ass was smaller.

Even though it was kind of a policy not to listen to my bosses, I decided I was curious enough about why Sam's mind felt so different. And since his hand was grasping my forearm, I figured it was the perfect time to see what I could hear.

Strangely, when I reached out, all I got was the same tangled mess and hazy feelings of desire and curiosity. And I could tell they were both aimed at me.

Sam's head tilted to the side, reminding me of a dog that was listening to something humans can't hear. Finally he said, "I was just gonna say that you could stay out here for a minute longer if you want. You never take any smoke breaks anyway like some of the other waitresses do. And it's clearing out pretty good anyway." He released my arm as he spoke and we both leaned against the side of the bar in silence.

I tried to reason in my mind what could make Sam's thoughts so different, but couldn't come up with a single thing.

Sam broke the silence, saying, "You really aren't like other girls, are you?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno what you mean. I don't guess any girl is just like another."

"Yeah, but those things folks say about you … about you being different … they're true aren't they?"

I let my shields slid down again, but all I could feel from him was a strange sort of acceptance. I eyed him suspiciously and replied, "I guess we're all different."

Whatever Sam thought he knew about me, I wasn't about to confirm or tell him more. Not if didn't really know what I was.

Of course, it was just my luck that he floored me by saying, "You can hear thoughts, can't you?"

My mouth was probably hanging open in my shock. No one had ever nailed it on the head so quickly. I started to cover my shock and deny it when Sam continued.

"I know you are, cher. You gave yourself away earlier tonight when you called Jane Bodehouse's son to come get her." His tone and half-grin was confident and self-assured.

"How?" I finally sputtered, crossing my arms over my chest.

Sam's attention and eyes drifted downward, and I looked down to see him eyeing the way my bountiful chest was pushed up and out by my pose. My arms immediately dropped as I cleared my throat. Don't get me wrong, Sam was a more than handsome man. He sort of looked like a young Brad Pitt or Paul Newman with shaggy strawberry blond hair, and if I'd been a normal girl, I might have been more than interested. But I was a 26 year old telepathic virgin, who hadn't ever been able to stand having a man touch me long enough to change my celibate status. After 26 years, I was starting to believe there was no point in thinking it would change.

Sam gave a sheepish smile and continued, "Yeah, you gave yourself away by knowing right where I keep a notebook with a few phone numbers under the bar. I realized when I cut Jane off earlier tonight and asked you to call her son, that I hadn't told you where I keep numbers for our regulars. But just as I was thinking of where the notebook was and that I needed to tell you, you pulled it out."

I struggled for a plausible excuse. "I could have seen you use that notebook at anytime."

He shook his head confidently. "Nope. We haven't had to call for a ride for one of our regulars since you started working here."

I pushed away from the side of the bar and paced a few steps, trying to decide what to say or do.

"Course, there's also the fact that I can feel something in my mind when you do read my thoughts, like just a few moments ago when I came out here." Now he looked smug and pleased with himself.

Well, if I was going to be fired for my little curse of reading minds, I figured I might as well ask Sam what I wanted to ask him. "Well. What are _you_ then? Your mind isn't like other peoples, and I've never known anyone who could feel it when I read their thoughts."

Again, he looked a little sheepish, so I pounced. I knew he wasn't a vampire, I'd obviously seen him during the day, but if they and I existed, it wasn't too much of a stretch to assume that there might be more out there.

"You're not human, are you? Or at least you're different, like me." My eyes narrowed as I came to a stop in front of Sam. We were almost the same height, so I could easily look into his eyes.

He seemed to steel himself before saying, "I'm a shape-shifter."

I felt my eyebrows skyrocket. "A what? Is that like a werewolf?"

He rolled his eyes, the action making him look years younger. "I'm not a werewolf. They're just one breed of two-natured. Most can only turn into one animal and are known as werefoxes, werelions, and such. Course, werewolves think pretty high of themselves and call themselves just Weres, but shifters are some of the few who can turn into any animal."

"You're kidding," I finally managed.

He looked around, and then suddenly his body started changing before my eyes. I watched as the shape of my boss morphed into the shape of a dog, sitting in my boss's clothes.

The collie easily stepped out of the discarded jeans, and then used his back feet to push the shirt off over his head. He gave a quiet yip and then sat at my feet, looking up at me.

My hand reached out cautiously as I asked, "Sam?"

He yipped again, and turned the side of his head into my hand. I laughed as I scratched behind his ear and watched him thump his back leg just like any dog would do. I guess right now he really was a dog. Suddenly the dog began morphing back into my boss, and I abruptly pulled my hand away from his ear, although I did laugh to see one of his legs still thumping for a bit.

Realizing that my boss was sitting on the ground at my feet naked, I whirled around and covered my eyes. I so did not need to be seeing my boss naked—even if he was a very good-looking man (and dog).

I heard soft chuckling and the rustling of clothes. Finally, Sam's hand on my shoulder turned me around.

"You can open your eyes now, Sookie," Sam assured.

Thankfully, he was fully clothed again when I opened my eyes.

"Sorry about that," he said, embarrassment coloring his cheeks. "It's just that scratching behind the ears is really pleasurable for a dog, and it's almost impossible to keep your back leg from going like that."

I tried not to think about it too much or read too much into what he said. "What's it like turning into an animal? Are you aware of what's going on?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"It's not much different than being human. Just different instincts and drives is all. We're just as aware in animal form as human. Unless we're fighting or one of our other animal instinct's take over. But that can happen with us in human form too," he answered with a shrug. "What's it like reading minds?" he asked, gesturing to my head.

"Like hearing and learning a whole lot of things I'd rather not know," was my sour reply. Suddenly I remembered how this whole conversation had started. "Am I fired for reading your mind?" I couldn't imagine him or anyone being real happy about that.

"No! Of course not," came his reply, almost sounding angry.

I'd never really made many friends before. Mostly casual acquaintances as I moved around, but I found myself really liking Sam and not wanting to make him upset.

"Aren't you angry with me?" I asked. I was surprised when my voice almost wavered. Even after only three weeks, I had begun to think of Sam as a friend, and now to find out he was as different as I was—I didn't want to lose that friendship.

"You don't read minds on purpose, do you?" he asked, his voice softening.

"Only if I really need to. Most of the time I'm struggling to keep the thoughts out," I surprised myself by answering truthfully.

"Then it's not your fault," he promised.

"How'd you feel it when I was listening?" I asked, figuring I should know. It would probably be a good idea to know about it if there were some people who could sense when I listened to them, and figure out a way around that if I could.

Sam scratched his jaw in thought. "It was just the vaguest sensation. Almost like those whistles for dogs that humans can't hear. But it was faint. I really had to concentrate to catch the feeling. If I hadn't heard some of the stories about you, I probably would have dismissed it." He gave me another sheepish smile, as if to apologize for listening to gossip.

I smirked and decided to ask, "So if I got one of those whistles that only dogs can hear, would you be able to?"

I laughed as Sam actually grimaced and answered, "Yeah. All of the two-natured have more sensitive ears, but our hearing is even better when we're in animal form." He shook his head and grumbled, "I really hate those things."

"I'll make sure never to get one then," I laughed.

"Thanks." He joined in my laughter and laid an arm over my shoulders. "Come on, let's head back in and help Arlene finish closing up. She's probably going to have a fit since we were both gone so long."

I found myself rolling my own eyes at that. Arlene sure seemed to be one of those women who would be nice and sweet as could be if she thought she might want something from you, but she struck me as the kind of woman you didn't turn your back on. I'd spent years not really having any friends, so I wasn't interested in having one who would be as selfish as her.

But oddly, even though that bit of desire I'd felt from Sam earlier worried me, I still felt like I'd made a real friend tonight.

More and more, I was finding I was happy with my decision to return to Bon Temps.

* * *

"Can we get another pitcher of beer, Sook? And maybe you could throw in a basket of chicken strips for your brother," Jason asked hopefully.

He was sitting with Hoyt and several other friends, and I could tell they were all starting to get a bit loose. I considered telling Jason that he could darn well pay for his own food since I could see this becoming a trend with him, but I reconsidered and decided to get him the chicken strips.

He had after all slugged Tommy Jeffers for caressing my cheek. And I'm not talking about my face.

Plus, him and his buddies had just finished putting the new tin on my roof. Guess it wouldn't hurt to give them a little food and even a pitcher of beer on me.

Actually, it was kind of nice to have someone defend my honor. I'd worked in a lot of bars, and getting felt up by drunks just kind of goes with the territory most of the time. It was strange to have someone react so forcefully. Not that I encouraged it—I assured Jason that I was more than capable of handling the wandering hands of drunks—but still it was nice to know someone cared and was looking out for me. I'd even spied Sam's baseball bat sitting on the top of the bar.

"Here's your pitcher of beer, boys, on me for all your help," I said after making my way back to Jason's table with their beer. I looked at Jason and continued, "I'll get you your chicken strips as thanks for your help with the roof, but let's not make a habit out of this."

With that warning, I made my way to the kitchen and yelled through the window for an order of strips. Terry brought them to me with a strained smile. I could tell he was having a tough night and did my best to stay out of his mind. Terry had had a real bad war in Vietnam from the flashes I saw in his mind. It was enough to ensure that I did my best to stay out of his thoughts. Still, he was a sweet man, and ignored the things locals said about me, so I gently patted his hand in comfort as I took the basket of chicken. He gave a half-smile, which seemed to be momentous from what I'd seen of him.

I heard the door open again, and Terry jerked his head towards it. "Looks like you got someone else in your section, Sookie."

It was getting towards closing, and after making lunch for Jason and his buddies for working on my roof, then coming in and working a long shift, I was beyond exhausted. It had just started winding down some, and I'd been hoping the end of the night was in sight. I was looking forward to a long soak in the tub once I got home.

Even though I didn't normally, I reached out with my mind to see who had come in behind me as I reached over the counter to grab Jason some ketchup. He seemed to put it on everything.

The bottle fell out of my hand when I realized there weren't any new minds sitting in my section.

There was only a blank hole.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, I'm kind of impressed with myself for getting another chapter out so quickly. I'm really on a roll. But this has been fun to write so far. **

**Let me know what you guys think!**


	4. The Only Hope for Me Is You

**Chapter 4: The Only Hope for Me Is You**

"Shit." Okay, I try not to curse much because it offends some people, but it just slipped out.

I scurried through the door to the kitchen and grabbed a rag to mop up the spilled ketchup and broken glass. As I stood up to throw some of the mess in a garbage can, I peeked through the kitchen window to see who was sitting in my section.

Sure enough, he seemed to have that faint glow that all vampires do, but his face wasn't one I recognized. I tried to imagine the deep voice that I'd heard from the vampire bar that night coming from his mouth, but it just didn't fit. I hadn't seen that vampire's face—Eric, the woman had called him—but I just couldn't see this vampire as being him.

I'd almost forgotten about the vampires from that night, but maybe they'd finally found me and sent this vampire after me?

"Don't worry about the mess, Sookie. I'll clean it up," Terry assured me, looking a little strained again. I instantly felt guilty. I knew dropping the ketchup bottle had set his nerves off a little bit.

I squeezed Terry's arm in gratitude and said, "Thanks, Terry. I appreciate it."

Wiping my hands on a fairly clean rag, I grabbed Jason's order of chicken strips and made my way to his booth. As I walked, I concentrated on slowing my breathing and calming my nerves. After all, just because he was a vampire, didn't mean he was after me. But as they say, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you. On the other hand, things hadn't turned out real well for Kurt Cobain, so maybe it wasn't a good idea to quote him.

After dropping the food off at Jason's table, I made my way to the vampire's table with determination, telling myself that I was just feeling a little paranoid from my first vampire run-in.

Standing at the vampire's table, I was proud of myself for forcing a smile and saying in a steady voice, "What can I get you, Sir?"

The dark haired vampire looked me up and down. "Do you have any of that bottled synthetic blood?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Feeling a little better about his inquiry, I shook my head. "Sorry. Sam said he'd ordered some when it first came out, but no one bought any so it went bad."

"Then I'll take some red wine."

I felt my eyebrow rise at that. As far as I knew, vampires didn't drink or eat anything but blood, but maybe he was lonely and just looking for company. _Right_. More likely, he was looking for a different kind of company; the kind where he could get his blood—straight from the tap.

Nodding, I turned to get his wine. I'd have to remember to ask Sam what he knew about vampires. I'd come in a little early and eaten dinner with Sam in his office so we could talk, but mostly he had been answering my questions about shifters and Weres. But I figured he'd probably know about vampires too.

Maybe it was like in the movies and if a vampire got bit by a werewolf, they'd die. Naw. I doubt I'd get that lucky.

Sam was tense as he poured the glass of wine for me, and I could see that he knew my customer was a vampire too. I wondered how he knew, because as far as I could tell, nobody else seemed to realize.

Scratch that. As I made my way back to the vampire with his wine, I could see that the Rattrays could tell. Or maybe they'd just heard him ask for a blood. Either way, they were plunked down at the vampire's table.

The Rattrays were the epitome of white trash. And I could also see from their minds that they'd both done time. Among other things.

I set the wineglass down in front of the vampire, and caught myself looking at Denise as she fondled her neck, trying to draw the vampire's attention there. Mack and the vampire seemed to catch my startled look.

"Don't mind, Sookie, mister, she's crazy," Mack slightly slurred. He may be one of the few who didn't seem to have any qualms about calling me crazy to my face, but it didn't stop him from fantasizing about me.

I smiled sweetly and replied, "Crazy happens to the best of us, and to the _worst_ of us."

Seeing as the vampire was occupied with the Rats, I turned on my heel and saw to the rest of my tables.

I kept on an eye on the vampire as I went about my work. He didn't seem really interested in either of the Rats, but he did glance hungrily at Denise's neck from time to time. As I was bringing the Rats another pitcher of beer, I saw a flash of their intentions from Mack's mind. They meant to drain this vampire of his blood and leave him to burn in the sun. I saw the images in their minds of other vampires they had tied down with silver and drained. Vampires that were quickly weakened and completely helpless.

Without a word, I turned around and looked for someone who could help me. Jason was currently sliding out the door with some girl named DeeAnne, but I knew he wouldn't be much help anyway. Sam was behind the bar, looking at me strangely, so I made my way over to him. From the corner of my eye, I saw the Rattrays leaving the bar with the vampire. _Great. Why don't you hang a "please drain me," sign from your neck too while you're at it_, I thought bitterly.

Going behind the bar, I whispered in Sam's ear. "The Rattrays are vampire drainers, and they're going to drain that vampire."

Sam gave me a look as if to say "So?" but he responded, "Vampires can take care of themselves, Sookie."

"They've drained vampires before and left them to die. We can't just stand by while someone gets hurt, vampire or not," I whispered back. Maybe I shouldn't have cared one way or another, especially after Winston tried to make fast food out of me, but I could still see those images of vampires, writhing on the ground and helpless. I knew what it was like to be helpless.

"Please, Sam," I pushed. When push came to shove, I knew how to fight and could hold my own. I was sure I could take Denise out, but Mack was still stronger than I was, and from what Sam had told me, all of the two-natured were much stronger than humans. I was more than confident he could deal with the two of them better than me, and between both of us, we could help the vampire. If he indeed needed it.

Sam grabbed his baseball bat and stalked towards the backdoor, throwing over his shoulder, "Stay here."

"Like hell I will," I replied, though I did make sure to stay behind him.

I reached out with my mind to find where the Rattrays had gone. "They're over by the tree line," I whispered to Sam.

"I can smell 'em," he assured me as we crept forward.

Sure enough, they were kneeling over the vampire, just barely into the line of trees by the parking lot. I could see their dented red sports car parked nearby. The Rats were bent over the vampire and fiddling with a tourniquet and needle that was running into Vacutainers. I could hear Denise greedily calculating in her head how much they could sell the blood for on the street.

In addition to being a very potent drug that was all the rage in the drug-using world, it was also known as being a lot like Viagra, making vampire blood, or V as it was known, highly sought and dearly paid for.

"Now you both just stop what you're doing," Sam called out in a steady voice when we had crept within a few feet of the Rats.

Mack immediately popped up, brandishing a knife. Almost faster than I could track, Sam brought the bat down on his hand in an overhead arc, knocking the knife to the ground and breaking some bones from the sound of it. Denise looked up from where she had been securing another Vacutainer and made to grab the knife, but I beat her to it, snatching it away from her grasp as Mack began cursing in pain.

"Vampire draining is illegal and I won't have it one my property," Sam continued.

"Come'on Sam, it's just a vampire," Denise said in her best sultry voice. "They're already dead. We'll split the profit with you."

Sam shook his head, not enticed by her offer. "I want you to clear off my property and clear out of the area. I'll even give you a bit of a head start before I call the authorities," he warned.

Denise made to grab the blood she'd already taken, but I stepped slightly forward, the knife in front of me. "Leave. Now."

"Bitch!" she spit at me, and then roughly grabbed Mack to pull him towards their car.

Sam stood at the ready, watching them leave, so I turned my attention to the prostrate vampire. There wasn't a Vacutainer in the needle at the moment, so no blood was currently coming out. I figured the first move should probably be removing the silver since I could see and smell it burning into his flesh.

As I gingerly removed the long length of silver chain from the vampire's wrists, throat and ankles. Where it had touched his bare skin, it had burned deeply into the skin.

I hissed with the vampire as I pulled the silver away, imagining that it must hurt like hell. "I'm sorry. I'm being as gentle as I can," I consoled him. He only nodded in response.

"Be careful," Sam warned from behind me. With the Rattrays gone, Sam moved to standing over my shoulder, apparently guarding me. I guess that was a good thing. This was after all a wounded and probably hungry vampire.

When the chain was fully removed from the vampire, he cradled his burnt wrists to his chest and scooted slightly away from me. Sam moved to stand beside me, bat still in his hand.

The vampire looked at Sam and gave a slight sneer. Then he turned back towards me and stiffly said, "Thank you."

I almost huffed. I guess men, even if they were vampires, didn't like being saved by a woman. And I was guessing from the look he gave Sam, that shifters ranked even lower. I'd have to ask Sam about that later.

Instead, I replied, "You're welcome."

The vampire continued studying me again, and I took the opportunity to look him over as well. He was dark haired, with sideburns that seemed just a tad longer and fuller than was fashionable these days. But he was well dressed in modern slacks and a button down shirt. He hadn't said much, though his voice still carried a southern lilt to it. I wondered how old he was and where he had been from.

I gathered myself to my feet, stretching to my full height. The vampire quickly stood as well, surprising me with his speed. But then, you did hear that vampires could move unbelievably fast.

His wrists seemed fully healed now, and he gestured to the blood on the ground. "Do you want the blood they collected? It would be a way to show my gratitude."

I made a disgusted noise. "No. It's your blood, you can keep it."

"You could sell it."

"I wouldn't touch it."

He tilted his head as he looked at me. "You're different. What are you?"

Sam lightly grabbed my arm. "She's one of my employees. What's your name?"

"Bill. Bill Compton," he replied, nodding to me and ignoring Sam.

Sam jerked his head back towards the bar. "Head back on in and help Arlene close up. I'll finish up out here with Mr. Compton and help him on his way."

I nodded in response, but as I crossed the parking lot, I heard Sam tell the vampire, "You know I've got to let the sheriff know what happened."

Sherriff Bud Dearborn didn't impress me at all from what I'd seen of him. I really doubted he'd be up to the task or even care about trying to find two vampire drainers, but I kept my opinions to myself, and went back in to help Arlene close up. It had been a long day and night, but at least I would have tomorrow off to sleep in.

* * *

The next day was bright and sunny, so I decided to indulge in a simple pleasure I hadn't been able to partake in since moving to Bon Temps. Sunbathing.

As I sat in an old lounge chair in front of the house, I was pleased with the progress I'd made so far. The inside of the house was somewhat dated of course, but it was nearly as spotless as I remembered it being from my childhood. I'd even been able to get the old lawnmower going and mow the tall grass.

Some of the bushes still needed pruning, but the outside of the place was looking tons better too. 'Course, the driveway could use some work, the house needed repainting, trees needed trimming and a few dead ones needed to be cut down. I sighed and replaced my dark glasses on my face as I stretched out again. At least the roof was brand new and the lawn was mowed. Rome wasn't built in a day. And I was running out of funds.

I wasn't looking to repeat my last experience at Bossier City anytime soon, so I figured for the moment, I'd try to make do on my wage and tips from the bar. Saving money and being frugal were nothing new to me, but owning a house sure was. There were so many more expenses with owning a house, not to mention having to have insurance for the place.

I was thankful now that I had accepted that bit of money from Uncle Bartlett's estate. I'd considered telling his lawyer where he could shove that money, but I knew even though it came from Uncle Bartlett, I could put it to good use. It would be a nice cushion for now.

Uncle Bartlett was turning out to be a touchy subject between me and Jason. He'd asked me the week before if I wanted to help him spread his ashes near Gran's grave, and I'd told him just what he could do with those ashes. I knew it wasn't Jason's fault; he'd never known that Bartlett was always trying to touch Hadley and me as children. And all these years later, I wasn't about to tell him.

Maybe it shouldn't have upset me so much, hell, worse touching had happened with Mr. Reeves, one of my foster dads, before I was able to convince the social workers to move me to another family. And then there was Mr. Fulton who liked to drink and hit anyone he could. Somehow, it all seemed worse since Uncle Bartlett had been a blood relative. It was easier to dismiss and forget the things strangers do to you.

I might just see about using his money to regravel the driveway. It would give me some satisfaction to use his money on something I would be able to drive over every day.

* * *

More than a week passed uneventfully at the bar. I didn't see the vampire again, so I began to think he had just been passing through. Of course, the moment I go assuming something is generally the moment I'm proven wrong.

There was a knock at the front door, and I let my hand hover over the knob as I reached out with my mind. I probably wouldn't have done it had it been the backdoor, since the few people I knew usually came in that way, but since it was the front door, I was curious about who had come calling.

A blank void met me when I reached out, and I hated that it was starting to become familiar. I'd never been close enough to a vampire to know they left a blank void before, and now, I was instantly recognizing it.

I'd never been a coward, so I cautiously opened the door.

"Can I help you, Mr. Compton?" I asked the dark haired vampire on the other side.

He looked considerably better this evening; but then, I could personally attest that you usually did look better when you _hadn't_ just been drained.

"Good evening, Miss Stackhouse. Please call me Bill."

He didn't seem threatening, so I opened the door a little wider. I guess he'd found out my name from someone. But for some reason, I didn't think it had been Sam. Deciding to be polite as well, I replied, "Good evening, Bill. You can call me Sookie."

My real name still felt strange rolling off my lips. I'd been living under my false identification for several years now.

"I wanted to properly thank you again for your assistance the other evening. Your kindness and bravery were most astounding."

I shrugged. "You're welcome, I guess. We couldn't very well just leave you to be drained by a couple of low-lives and left for dead—or dead_er_ I guess."

He smiled faintly at my fumble. "Still, I thank you." He looked pointedly inside. "Won't you invite me in?"

"Why?" I asked, defensively.

He made a placating gesture. "I have just moved in next door, and as I have heard that you are also recently returned to this area, I thought it might be pleasant to visit, and get to know my neighbor."

"What do you mean 'also recently returned'?"

"As a human, I lived in and helped to build the Compton house across the cemetery." He gestured across the cemetery that apparently separated our properties.

I smiled faintly. I knew I had recognized the Compton name from somewhere. "Well, I guess it was a good thing me and Sam helped you out, it wouldn't be very neighborly of me to have let someone drain you."

Bill seemed pleasant enough, and it would be nice to know who my only neighbor was, so I opened the door and stepped back from the opening to allow him through. Except, he just stood there.

He looked a touch embarrassed as he admitted, "Vampires cannot enter a mortal's home without invitation."

_Huh, well that's useful information_, I thought, already feeling slightly safer concerning vampires. "So what if I give you an invitation and then want you back out?"

He nodded his head in a courteous fashion. "After an invitation has been extended, you need only say that you rescind that vampire's invitation, and he will be required to depart."

"You can come in," I told him, but the moment he had stepped over the threshold, I continued, "I rescind your invitation, Bill Compton." He quickly stepped backwards through the doorway with a startled look on his face.

I shrugged. "You didn't expect me to test it out?" He schooled his features and almost seemed to be hiding a smile. "Come in," I told him again.

He stepped cautiously through the doorway, as though waiting to see if I would send him away again. I laughed and jerked my head towards the living room. "Come on," I laughed.

Closing the door, he followed me into the living room and sat on the couch I gestured to. I curled up cross-legged in an easy chair across from him.

I was surprised at the pleasant conversation. We talked about our pasts, and I was surprised to learn he'd been a soldier in the Civil War. My Gran would have loved that; she'd been a member of the Descendants of the Glorious Dead, and huge fan of anything from the Civil War. I wondered what she would have thought of an actual participant of the War.

I asked him a few general questions about vampires, things I hadn't learned from Sam yet. Sam had told me a few things, but didn't seem to like talking about them. But knowing things like the trick with the invitation seemed like smart things to know.

It was more relaxing than I knew was possible to have a conversation with someone and just be able to focus on what they were saying. I was so used to having to keep track of what they were saying, and trying to form replies, all the while striving to keep the wall in place so I didn't fall into their thoughts.

We talked for almost an hour about general niceties, but I couldn't shake the slightly uneasy feeling I had. It wasn't that I was frightened of Bill, or thought he would hurt me, I just didn't think everything he was saying was adding up.

"Where'd you come from before you came back here?" I asked him.

He looked stiff and his face unreadable. "I was in New Orleans for a time before my descendant passed away and ownership of the Compton land reverted to me."

"Yeah, but why would you come back?" That was just sticking in my mind. He'd mentioned being married and even having children in his human life, and when I asked him if he missed his family, he had looked very uncomfortable and refused to answer. Why would someone move back to the house they'd lived in with their family, if they couldn't even talk about them?

"It was simply time for me to return," was his stiff answer. He looked at me and I felt that strange pressing on my mind that I was starting to associate with glamoring. Sam had explained that to me a little more, but he was shocked to hear it didn't seem to work on me. He said he'd never heard of that before.

As Bill looked at me and the pressing in my head increased, he asked, "What are you?"

But before I could respond, my back door was flung open. Before I could even look to see who it was, or reach out with my mind to investigate, Bill had jumped into a crouch in front of my chair, growling and hissing at the intruder.

"Holy Hell!" I heard Jason's voice exclaim.

I slid forward in my chair and grabbed Bill's shoulder as I stood up to look over his crouched form.

"It's okay, Bill. It's just my brother," I assured him. I did feel slightly better about Bill though. He hadn't known who was coming through the door, but in the blink of an eye, he had jumped in front of me to protect me.

I stepped beside Bill as he straightened from his crouch. He nodded to us both, saying, "I apologize."

"Lord almighty! What's a vampire doing in Gran's house?" Jason exclaimed.

"It's my house now, Jason, and Bill's my neighbor, come to introduce himself," I admonished Jason. With his emotions running higher, I could see a flash of his resentment that I had gotten Gran's house, but I ignored it and asked, "What are you doing here, Jason?"

He eyed Bill warily, but came to drop himself down in the chair I had been sitting in. Fighting a sigh, I went to sit on the other end of the couch from where Bill had been seated. It didn't escape my notice that when he returned to the couch, he sat in the middle, closer to me.

"I think I'm in some trouble," Jason finally confessed, and I could sense the turmoil in him, but I kept my shields in check and waited to see what he would say.

"They called me in today to question me about the murders."

"Murder_s_?" I repeated, emphasizing the plural. "I thought just one girl had been killed." But then, it had been my day off, so I hadn't been in the bar today to hear what the gossip was.

He shook his head. "Sam found Dawn dead in her apartment when she didn't come in for work today."

I was surprised Sam hadn't asked me to come in to help out, but I had been working a lot of double-shifts to try and put some money aside, so maybe he didn't want to bother me on my day off.

I hadn't thought too much of the first girl's death, Maudette, but I was used to moving around and not letting myself care too much about the lives and deaths of strangers around me. I'd never even met Maudette, but I did feel bad about Dawn. We weren't exactly friends, and didn't have much in common since she was real popular with the men, but we had been friendly with each other.

"How'd they die, and what's it got to do with you?" I questioned my brother.

He cleared his throat and replied in an unsteady voice. "Well, I've _dated_ them both, and they found some videos at Maudette's place."

"_Jason_!" I exclaimed, my voice full of censure. I briefly saw a glimpse in his mind of just what kind of videos they'd been. I tried _real_ hard to wipe that image from my mind.

Clearing his throat again, he went on. "They were both found strangled, but they both had old bite marks on them." Even without the look he threw Bill, it didn't take a genius to know what kind of bite marks he was talking about.

Bill leaned forward. "You said they died by strangulation?"

"Yeah. So?" Jason replied.

"They weren't drained?"

"No."

"Then it wasn't a vampire."

"How do you figure?" I asked.

"A vampire wouldn't have been able to resist all of that fresh blood." His answer came with a shrug and a small smile. It was almost—unrepentant.

"You gotta help me, Sook. I don't know what to do." Jason lamented.

Bill looked at me curiously, but didn't say anything.

"I don't know what I can do for you, Jason. Maybe you should get a lawyer."

Jason huffed. "Maybe you can go to that vampire bar in Shreveport, Fangtasia. Listen in and see if you can find out who they went with."

It wasn't a bad suggestion, but I wasn't too wild about spending time in a vampire bar. I could always cross my fingers that there was more than one vampire bar in Shreveport and that Fangtasia wasn't the one I'd been in.

Briefly, I considered telling Jason he was on his own, but then I remembered him slugging Tommy Jeffers for grabbing me and helping put a new roof on the house. He was my only family, and after having no one for so long, that meant a lot to me.

"All right, Jason. I'll do this for you."

Bill looked at me curiously. "It would not be wise to go to a vampire bar unaccompanied. If you wish, I'll escort you."

I nodded, thinking if I was going into the lion's den, it might be a good idea to bring my own lion.

Maybe I'd even find out a little more about my new neighbor, Bill.

* * *

**A/N: I know you guys were hoping for Eric, but I'm kind of trying to stick to canon when and where it fits. I know a lot of people don't like Bill, but he serves his purposes and he's not as bad as some people like to make him out to be. He did several things wrong concerning Sookie, but he wasn't the monster some like to make him out to be.**

**Also, thanks a million to all of the reviewers! I've been blown away by all of the responses. I usually try to respond to everyone individually, but I haven't been able to lately. I've been spending my free-time writing new chapters instead, so please forgive me and thanks to each and every one of you. I do read every review, and they just encourage me to keep writing!**

**Thanks everyone, and Happy New Year! Try not to get too carried away on New Year's Eve!**


	5. Jaded Woman

**Chapter 5: Jaded Woman**

Bill's parting words to me the night before had been to do him proud. _Just what the hell does that mean?_ I wondered as I stood in my bedroom looking through my closet. Tucking my towel tighter around my body, I realized I seriously needed to extend my wardrobe. Over the years, I hadn't amassed many clothes, out of necessity. Only it was a necessity to be able to travel and move easily. I had to make sure the things I owned could be easily packed into my car.

Digging through my drawers, I saw that most of my clothes were pretty basic and mostly clothes I could wear while waitressing. I did have a few nicer clothes that I would wear to casinos and the handful of dates I had ever been on, but I wasn't sure what to wear to a vampire bar.

Just what kind of clothes said: this neck's not for you.

I pulled out a brightly colored halter-style top that actually tied around my neck in a wide band. That would cover my neck and obviously say, don't bite, but maybe it was making too obvious of a statement. I probably _shouldn't_ look like I was trying to say: don't bit me. That would probably stand out too much in a vampire bar.

From the few images I'd plucked from the minds in that vampire bar weeks ago, it seemed that leather and PVC were the style of choice. _Shucks, I just gave away my dominatrix outfit, too_, I thought with an eye roll.

Sliding on a pair of my nicer looking dark wash jeans, I was pleased to find they fit a little looser than the last time I'd pulled them on. Guess all of the double shifts and work I'd been doing around the place to fix it up had lost me a few pounds. I sure hope I didn't find them again. I had always been a curvy girl, and I had never minded those curves, but I also wasn't complaining about losing a little from my thighs and back end.

After finding a bra, I settled for pulling on one of my nicer tank tops. It was v-neck with wide straps at the shoulders and tightly gathered around my breasts and stomach. It was dark red in color, with large white flowers spattered throughout the knit fabric. I probably should have been wearing black for going to a vampire bar, but I didn't own much in all black, and I just couldn't bring myself to wear much of the drab color. My feet slid into a nice pair of heeled sandals, and I was ready for the night. At least I hoped I was ready. At least my tan looked good against the red and white fabric.

I'd told Sam during my lunch shift what my plans were, but he hadn't been too enthused about my idea of going to a vamp bar to help Jason and things had gotten a bit heated. But he hadn't been able to come up with any better ideas to get my brother out of trouble either. I wasn't exactly enthusiastic myself, but I was determined.

If I could just find out whom both girls had been seen with, maybe I could find out who really killed them. Or at least find someone or something to throw some of the suspicion off of Jason. I knew from looking in his mind that he had nothing to do with their deaths. Maybe it was wrong of me to look, but I had to know.

As I waited for Bill to pick me up, I tried to shake my sour mood off. Sam had been understandably reluctant about me going to a vampire bar, but what really bugged me was how far he was taking it. I knew he was frustrated, but he'd gotten downright rude when I'd told him I was going, and wouldn't hardly talk to me again. This having friends business was more trouble than it was worth.

Right on time, there came a knock at the door, accompanied by the familiar feeling of a void. Grabbing my purse, I swung the door open. Bill was standing on the other side wearing a dark blue, button down shirt with black slacks. I could see a black Cadillac over his shoulder that I assumed belonged to him. Guess vamps travel in style.

His eyes traveled up and down my body for several seconds before he stiffly asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure," I replied, just as stiffly as I closed the door behind me. I'd worn my hair down in waves and had very little make-up on, so overall, I couldn't tell what his problem seemed to be with my appearance. My top was tight and did show some cleavage, but I still thought it was nicer looking than leather or PVC.

Several minutes into our silent car ride, I decided to break the awkward quiet. "Is there something wrong with the way I'm dressed?" This wasn't a date, but a girl still liked to know that she looked good.

The car suddenly skidded to a stop on the side of the road, my hand reaching out to brace myself on the dashboard.

"Who said there was?" Bill asked in a soft voice.

"You looked at me like I'd done something wrong when you picked me up," I fired at him, my temper flaring.

"I'm just very much doubting my ability to get you in and out without having to kill someone who wants to take you."

"You're exaggerating," I said, looking forward. Okay, so I was mostly hoping that was true, but what did I know about vampires?

Suddenly, Bill's hand grabbed the back of my neck and turned my head towards him.

"Do I look like I am?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

My arm shot up to shove his hand from my neck. Pushing hard against his chest to shove him back on his side of the car, I said through my own narrowed glare, "Do I look like some dog you can grab by the scruff of the neck? You don't touch me without permission." My words came out in an angry growl. Okay, maybe shoving a vampire around wasn't the smartest move, but I really didn't like to be grabbed.

Bill gave a faint, almost amused smile, and nodded in deference to me. Soon we were back on the road, this time the silence being filled by Kenny G music. Good thing I was used to ignoring and mostly blocking out music after years of working in bars. At least his silent mind was relaxing.

Once we arrived in Shreveport, Bill parked in front of a strip mall that held the bar, Fangtasia, along with a Toys R Us that was closed at this hour. Was I the only one who thought a vampire bar and a toy store didn't belong in the same strip mall? At least they didn't have to worry about competing for clientele. _God I hope not anyway._

Walking to the front of the bar, my heart began to sink as I started recognizing the interior of the bar in the patrons' heads. Just my luck, this seemed to be the same bar that I had woken up in weeks ago. I should have paid more attention to its exterior, the name of it and its location as I was fleeing.

"Is something the matter?" Bill asked, turning back to me.

I hadn't even realized I'd stopped moving. What was I suppose to do? I couldn't just turn around and tell Bill I wanted to leave. He'd wonder why and ask too many questions. And I _really_ didn't want to walk into that bar and risk running into those vampires again. I didn't have a clue what they looked like, and I had no idea if they were pissed off with me disappearing like I had. Maybe they weren't even here tonight. I could get lucky. Couldn't I?

No one could ever say Sookie Stackhouse was a coward. I shook my head and smiled at Bill as I began walking beside him again. "No problem at all."

As we neared the entrance of the bar, Bill stepped slightly closer to me and gently grasped my elbow as he escorted me.

"This isn't a date, remember?" I whispered.

His voice came back even softer. "You will be safer if they think you're with me."

I tried to keep my face carefully blank. I'd never been to a vampire bar before, so maybe Bill was right. Maybe I'd be open season if other vampires thought I was there alone.

The female bouncer was dressed in a horribly clichéd "vampire" dress with lots of black fabric and trailing sleeves. But, I guess that was the image people expected.

When she asked to see my ID, I briefly considered pulling my other license out, but figured it would be best to stick with my real ID. I had no qualms about someone thinking it was a fake ID, since technically speaking the ID I'd had made was as real as any other, the name and Social Security number that went with it just happened to be made up. But it would probably raise too many questions with Bill about why I had another ID in a different name. Better to go with my real one.

It was strange to be carded at 26, but I decided to just be flattered that someone had asked for it. It had been a couple of years since I'd been carded anywhere.

We strolled into the bar, and I was amazed by the masses of people wearing not only leather and PVC, but what looked like costumes inspired by many TV and movie vampires. Some of them were pretty authentic too, complete with fake fangs. The fangs on the real vampires were far more threatening looking.

I couldn't think of anything else to say but, "Wow."

Bill chuckled at my reaction, and led me to the bar. He ordered one of the warmed bottled bloods that were on display while I stuck with my standard gin and tonic. They were pretty hard to mess up, no matter where you ordered it.

The bartender, a Native American with long black hair and a crooked nose, smiled while showing fang as he placed our drinks on the table.

"How's it going Bill? Long time, no see. This your meal for the night?" the bartender asked Bill.

Before I could respond, he quickly answered, "This is my friend, Sookie. She has some questions to ask."

"Anything, beautiful woman," he leered.

I tried to clamp down on my nerves at seeing his fangs and pulled out the pictures from my purse. "Have you seen this woman, or this one, in the bar?"

His eyes barely glanced to the newspaper clippings as he replied, "Yes."

"Do you remember who they hung around with?"

His face darkened and the smile was gone as he answered, "That's something I wouldn't know. That's something we don't notice, here. You won't, either."

"Thank you," I replied politely, deciding it was best to heed his warning. It was obviously not acceptable to ask questions about who did what in this bar. I'd have to revert to less obvious forms of investigating. "I appreciate your time," I told him.

He seemed to consider me. Poking at the picture of Dawn, he said, "That one, she wanted to die."

"Why would you say that?" I wondered.

"Everyone who comes here does, to one extent or another," he proclaimed. "That is what we are. Death."

I shuddered as Bill pulled me away from the bar towards a booth. I couldn't argue with part of his dark proclamation. I'd certainly almost found death at the sharp end of one of their fangs.

Bill took a sip of his bottled blood, and I tried not to grimace at the red, coloring his mouth and teeth.

To divert my attention to something else, I asked, "Do you suppose I want to die, since I came here with you?"

He seemed to study me before he replied. "I think you want to find out why other people are dying."

I sipped my own drink and mulled over his answer. I did want to find out why people were being killed, but if I was honest with myself, I'd seen enough death that it wasn't what really bothered me. I'd lost nearly all of my family, and I just couldn't stand to lose the last part of my family that I had left. Jason may have his faults, but I would do my darndest to keep him out of trouble.

We sat in silence for a while as I sifted through the minds of the humans present. It would be easier if I could go around asking them all specific questions to focus their minds where I wanted them, but that would raise too many suspicions from the vampires. Including the one I came with. For now, I'd have to just sit here and listen, hoping I'd get lucky.

Bill had just shooed another fangbanger away after she had sidled up to him, trying to entice him.

"I don't care if you want to leave with one of those women, or men," I added with a smile. "I can get a cab home if you want to leave with one of them." We certainly weren't on a date, and I definitely wasn't going to ever be offering him what those women or one man had offered.

His dark brows drew together as he asked, "Do you want me to leave you? Is there someone else here who catches your fancy? Long Shadow, there at the bar, would love to spend time with you, I can tell."

I almost laughed at the jealous tone in his voice. Long Shadow could join me sunbathing any day of the week, but that was the only kind of time I'd care to really spend with him. A few things Bill said to me didn't add up, but he didn't give me the creeps like Long Shadow did.

Bill pushed on when I ignored his comments and didn't answer his ridiculous questions. "What are your plans now? Is there someone else you wish to try questioning?"

I shook my head. "Maybe we can just sit here for a little bit and see if we hear something."

"You could sit here for days and never chance upon someone actually talking about the murders."

"You never know what you might hear in a bar," I responded noncommittally, noting how Bill looked dubious.

"Perhaps the owners of this establishment might be more inclined to answer your questions," Bill suggested, nodding his head towards two blond haired vampires that walked in from the back of the bar and made their way towards a table. The shorter female slid into a chair at the table without even looking around the bar or acknowledging the people nearby who had turned to gawk at their entrance. The male however, stopped at the table and scanned the bar. When his eyes settled on me, they narrowed in recognition, and I knew instantly that these were the two vampires the voices had belonged to that night.

I held my breath as I expected him to either come towards us or make some sort of motion demanding our presence. Instead, he gave me a faint smile, and took his seat next to the female. My breath came out in a sharp exhale as the female vampire forcefully kicked the shoulder of a man who had been crawling towards her. The sour look on her face said she would have liked to do more than that. And I could almost swear the male vampire had smiled at my reaction.

Bill looked curiously at me and asked, "Do you wish to speak with Eric?"

I realized that the blond vampire had glanced a couple of times at me, but seemed content to stay where he was. Maybe he figured since I had come back to his bar that I would simply come to him.

Though it was the furthest thing from what I wanted to do, I answered, "Let's get this over with," and started making my way towards their table.

The male vampire, Eric, was blond and quite tall. His own "vampire" costume consisted of boots, jeans and a vest. Nothing else. Though I hated to admit it, he was beyond handsome, but he also scared me to death.

We made our way to the table, but Bill grasped my arm, pulling me to a stop a short distance away from their table. Maybe it was a respectful distance. Like the kind of distance you kept between you and wild animals.

The female, who was shorter than I was and looked more like a milkmaid than a vampire, hadn't looked up as we approached, but Eric looked up as we stopped, he had an expression of smug satisfaction.

"Bill," he acknowledged, his voice slightly accented, and then his attention focused fully on me. "And look what we have here, Pam, it's the lovely Miss Sandra Stevens. I'm sure you're glad to see she is well after disappearing so abruptly, aren't you Pam?"

The female, Pam, looked up instantly and smiled showing off her own set of fangs and ruining the milkmaid image. "Oh, yes. So happy," she replied in a low voice.

Bill's head had snapped to look at my face in confusion, but I kept my gaze focused on Eric, determined to forge ahead, and answer him without being a coward.

Forcing nonchalance, I shrugged and said, "My real name's Sookie Stackhouse. I guess we weren't really introduced that night."

Eric's eyes traveled up and down my body, I guess I should be pleased he at least started with my face. "No, I did not have that pleasure," he leered. "How impolite of you to cut and run as you did." I didn't think he really cared, beyond the fact that he hadn't been able to glamor the memory from my mind that night.

"I guess some would think it impolite when the food runs away, but since I had been unwilling food, I wasn't real concerned about manners."

Eric threw back his head and laughed, startling me so that I almost took a step backwards. Bill's face was drawn into an angry expression, but I didn't have time to worry about him.

"The damsel in distress didn't even stay long enough to thank her knight in shining armor," Eric tsked with a grin.

A small smile tugged at my cheek with his humor. Who'd have guessed? A vampire having a sense of humor. "I guess the damsel in distress was just scared of what the knight might do with his own shining fangs."

He grinned, revealing said fangs, but didn't answer. Since I hadn't been grabbed and shoved back into the office again to be glamored, I figured maybe I did owe this vampire a thanks. Winston probably would have killed me if he hadn't come along.

"Thank you, though. For saving my neck that night," I told him, with a nod of my head. I'd noticed vampires didn't seem to shake hands or touch each other, but nodded instead, so I followed suit.

"It was far too lovely of a neck to allow fall prey to the likes of Winston," he replied, his face turning serious as his eyes seemed to caress said body part.

I resisted the urge to cover my neck with my hand. I didn't want to let this vampire know he was making me uncomfortable, but somehow, the gleam in his eyes told me he knew anyway.

"My friend Sookie would like to ask you a few questions," Bill said, obviously trying to take charge of the conversation again.

Eric looked amused, but Pam huffed and said with contempt, "Like how long are our fangs, and what kind of coffin do we sleep in?"

"No, ma'am," I replied, surprised at the ridiculous questions they were obviously used to hearing. Pam's look turned to one of amazement.

I pulled the pictures from my purse again, and held them out. "I'd like to know if you've seen either of these women in this bar."

"I've been with this one," Eric immediately replied, taping Dawn's picture. "She liked pain."

The startled look on Pam's face was almost comical. She obviously hadn't expected Eric to answer me. Actually, I hadn't either. I figured I would ask them as part of my cover with Bill, and then continue to poke around the minds in the bar in case I could find something.

Pam followed Eric's lead and answered, "I have seen both of them. I have never been with them," she said, giving me a slightly speculative look, as though to let me know just what her persuasion was. "That one," she flicked a nail at Maudette's picture, "was a pathetic creature."

Well, I'd heard people think worse things about both of them, but it still seemed wrong to speak ill of the dead. Even if I didn't know one of them at all. "Thank you very much for your time."

I started turning to leave, but Eric's voice stopped me.

"Bill, are you quite attached to your friend?"

"She is mine," Bill replied in a quiet but strong voice.

His hand had been at my elbow, but I yanked it away with a glare. Then I turned my glare on Pam and Eric as well and informed all three of them, "I don't _belong_ to anyone. I am my own."

Bill's face was blank, but Pam raised one delicate eyebrow, almost in indulgence. Eric just smiled with amusement.

I had been carefully splitting my attention between the conversation I had been engaged in, and listening to the minds in the bar. Now I stopped and fully listened to one that caught my attention.

"Bill, I want to leave," I suddenly said with urgency.

The vampires looked startled. "I want to leave, right now," I insisted, grabbing Bill's arm.

"But I had not finished visiting with you, Miss Stackhouse," Eric replied, leaning back into his chair. I could see he was serious and didn't think I should be leaving until he was ready for me to.

I looked up and watched the cop stalk nervously out of the bathroom. He stood near the entrance of the bar, his eyes darting around.

Bill's hand was gripping my arm again, holding me in place, so I said the only thing I could think of. "We need to leave, there's going to be a raid."

Eric was on his feet, faster than I could track, towering over me with his height. It was intimidating to say the least, but he didn't lay a hand on me.

"How do you know this?" he demanded.

I swallowed, my throat feeling dry. I didn't like to outright lie because lies were hard to keep track of, but no way was I letting three vampires know the truth.

Pointing at the cop whose thoughts I'd overheard as he called in about the vampire in the bathroom feeding on a human, I said, "I saw that guy at the courthouse two weeks ago when I was filing some paperwork on my house. He was wearing a uniform. Only one reason for a cop to be undercover in a bar. And he looks nervous like something is about to happen. I've got two different IDs and I really don't want to be caught with them."

Okay, the last part was one hundred percent true. I never carried them both at once, and this was why. I didn't want to be caught carrying two IDs with different names and the same picture. It would be pretty obvious then that one of them was illegal. I really needed to put one of them away and decide which I was living as, Sandy or Sookie. I couldn't continue to be both.

"Follow me," Eric stated, making his way to the back of the bar. Pam, Bill and I followed.

Pam and Eric paused by a red Corvette that somehow seemed to instantly fit Eric's style, not that I knew him.

"How did you know?" Eric asked me again.

I'd had years to perfect my poker face, both by actually playing poker and by ignoring the thoughts I heard in others' minds. "I told you," I answered with sincerity. _I just didn't tell you the truth._

Eric's eyes searched my face for anything that might give me away, but then the sounds of sirens sounded in the distance. Without another word, he slid into his car and Bill and I hastily made our way to his, just driving out of one entrance as police cars pulled into another.

After driving several blocks, Bill turned into another parking lot. This one was nearly empty.

I turned towards Bill, and saw him move towards me fast, his eyes darkened with lust. Quickly pushing him away, I demanded, "You take me home. Right now, Bill Compton."

He took several deep breaths—something I hadn't seen him do before—and seemed to get a hold of himself.

"I apologize," he said quietly as we pulled back onto the road.

I knew it was coming, so I wasn't surprised when he asked, "How did you already know Eric?"

I kept my eyes forward on the road ahead of us. "Some vampire was trying to make fast food out of me one night, and Eric came along. I guess he had someone transfuse me with more blood, and I woke up in his office. I was a little freaked out by everything that happened, so when I came to alone in that office, I took off." Okay, that was an edited version, but true nonetheless.

His eyes darted from the road to look at me. "Sandra?"

"Yeah. It's the name on my other ID," I huffed.

"Why would you have need of a false ID? What are you?" he questioned, his eyes darting away from the road to look at me far longer than I was comfortable with.

"Why'd you really move back here from New Orleans?" I shot back.

His face darkened before it once again was hidden by a carefully blank mask. I was beginning to notice he did that a lot. But he didn't ask me any more questions, and that itself, told me a lot. He was hiding just as much as I was.

Ever the Southern gentleman though, Bill walked me to the front door when we got home.

I turned around at the top of the porch steps. "Good-night, Bill," I said as pleasantly as I could. It was a bit strained though.

"I apologize again for attempting to kiss you in the car. Vampire instincts are difficult to control, and I'm afraid my desires needed to be directed somewhere after being forced to flee from a fight," he apologized again, trying to clarify his behavior.

I held up my hand. "I don't care what reasons you try to give me, Bill. I already told you I don't like for people to touch me without permission." My arms crossed over my chest. "Good-night, Bill."

He seemed to get the hint, and nodded before returning to his car and driving down the driveway.

Plunking down on the top step to the porch, I sat and looked up at the stars.

I had been sitting there for nearly a half-hour, thinking and enjoying the cool night air. "I guess tonight was pretty well a bust," I said aloud to myself. Maybe I could find out something just from listening to the customers at Merlotte's.

There was an answering meow to my words, and I turned around to see a black cat stalking along the porch towards me. I was surprised when the cat made its way straight towards me and started rubbing against my side as loud purrs rumbled through me. It seemed friendly enough, obviously used to humans, but a little too skinny to be getting regular meals from someone.

There weren't any other houses near my own besides the Compton place across the cemetery and I just couldn't see Bill having a cat. I figured it was an unwanted pet that someone abandoned out in the country. I knew it happened a lot.

Stroking the cat's static charged fur, I decided it was kind of nice having someone else around the place. Even if they couldn't talk.

"Whaddya think, kitty? Would you like a home here?" I muttered to the cat. It rubbed the top of its head into my palm, so I took that as an affirmative.

Carefully pulling the cat into my lap, I turned it over and inspected the cat. "Well, you're a girl, what should we call you?" More purring. "I remember a girl in Alma, Arkansas that I waitressed with once. She was black and had the most beautiful long curly black hair I've ever seen. And she was real friendly too, just like you," I told the cat.

She curled into my lap, kneading at my leg as she ignored my words. "I think I'll name you Tina, after her. She was real friendly to me, even though I usually kept to myself." She'd probably been the closest I'd allowed myself to come at making a friend. And her thoughts were so warm and friendly that I didn't really mind hearing them.

"Tina it is then," I decided.

"Tina is a strange name for a feline, but fitting enough in this age I suppose," a deep voice said.

I sprang to my feet, instinctively clutching the cat to my chest.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised that my voice didn't squeak or quaver.

"We need to talk, Miss Stackhouse," Eric said, walking to the bottom of the porch steps. His lips were turned up in that amused smile again.

"I don't know what we need to talk about."

The grin widened. "Oh, I think you do."

* * *

**A/N: Well, what do you think so far? I'm trying to find a balance between original canon and believable new twists. **

**Thanks again for all of the responses, I love getting all those emails telling me what you guys think. **

**Happy New Year to all!**


	6. Through the Jaded Glass

**Chapter 6: Through the Jaded Glass**

"I don't know what you're talking about," I insisted.

Eric carefully placed one boot on the bottom step as he made to come towards me. I reacted instinctually by taking two steps back.

His hands spread out in a placating manner as he lowered his foot back to the ground.

I had no illusions about what this vampire _could_ do. If he wanted to, he could grab a hold of me before I even shifted my weight to run for the door of the house. I was caught outside in the open and he had the upper hand.

But he moved another step away and carefully leaned against the bottom of the hand railing leading down the steps from the porch. His manner was casual, almost careless. I could almost feel my muscles and nerves starting to relax as I loosened my grip on my new cat. _Right, I'm sure that's what everyone thinks—right before he rips their throat out_. My grip tightened again.

Yet we both stood in my dark front yard, neither saying a word to break the silence.

I didn't have the patience, or the eternity that this vampire had. He might be content to lounge at the foot of the steps to my porch, but I wanted answers.

"What are you doing here?" I settled on asking.

His gaze as he studied me seemed merely inquisitive, as though I was some strange curiosity he'd discovered. And maybe I was to him.

"What are you?" his deep voice questioned.

I fought to keep from huffing at that. If I had a wooden nickel for every time someone asked me that—well—I'd have a lot. Guess I could add two vampires to the ever growing list.

"I'm a barmaid. I work at Merlotte's." I decided ignorance was the best way to go. It had always worked for me in the past.

He grinned and the glint in his eye told me it hadn't worked this time.

"You are something more," he replied, sounding very assured of himself.

I cast about for what I could say to refute him. Something he might believe.

"You gave yourself away, you know," he commented, almost casually like we were talking about the weather.

I sputtered, but nothing intelligent sounding seemed to come out.

"You reacted and demanded to leave the club before the undercover police officer had walked away from the restrooms to where you could have seen him. I have replayed it in my mind several times. You knew something was happening before any of us could have seen him," he continued. He crossed his arms over his chest in a self-assured manner, and it drew my attention to his shirt. He'd been wearing only a vest at the club. Guess he decided to put on something else.

Shaking my head from the ridiculous distracting thoughts, I tried to rationalize my story. But I wasn't coming up with much. When I replayed it in my head, I realized he was right. I'd really screwed that up.

"Of course, when one couples that incident with the talk of the locals in this community, one can indeed see that there is more to you," he went on.

"Since when did you have time to gossip with the locals?"

"I knew Bill was residing in Bon Temps, and correctly determined that you did as well. It did not take me long to beat you both to the area to do some investigating amid the locals."

"I didn't think some vampire would stoop to exchanging inane local gossip with humans from some po'dunk town like this."

He chuckled at that.

"It is more useful than you would realize to know the gossip amongst humans."

I could just imagine him sitting under a salon hair dryer, chatting it up with the likes of Mrs. Fortenberry about what girl was caught necking in the back of what boy's truck. _Right_.

He smiled at my confusion and answered my silent question. "It was useful to know the talk amongst humans to know if any were suspicious of our behaviors. It was vital to our survival in the time before the Reveal to know if the humans were becoming suspicious of us, and their gossip was the first sign that we would have of impending trouble."

I nodded in understanding, but wasn't sure what else to say. I'd been gone from here for years, but the locals all still gossiped about me and what they thought I could do, that was for sure.

"You are the human that helped Bill Compton the night he was nearly drained?" he suddenly asked.

"Yes." I was surprised at how he jumped the tracks and answered before I could decide whether I really should or not. Not to mention being shocked that he knew about it.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you help a vampire? It is not in human nature to help others."

I wasn't so sure about that. Sure, I'd seen a lot of the bad out there, but I'd also seen the thoughts of mothers and fathers who stayed up late at night, worrying about how to provide for their families, or going without so their children didn't.

"Well, why did _you_?" I asked. He looked startled at my question so I clarified. "Why'd you help me that night?"

He leaned back further against the rail as he looked at me.

"You are not what I expected."

I wasn't sure if he meant that night, or tonight. Maybe he meant both.

"I stopped Winston that night because he is still young and has a tendency to get carried away. I did not care to have another mess on my hands, nor did I care to risk bringing the wrath of the human authorities down on us for him killing a human."

Since he seemed to be so forthcoming—and brutally honest—I decided to ask him a question that had been bugging me since that night.

"But why did you stop him from killing me? I mean, I'd admitted to counting cards in your casino, and yet you stopped him, gave me a blood transfusion, bandaged my wound, and didn't even take the money back. Why?"

He shrugged. "It is the job of a gambler to at least attempt swindling me out of my money. It is the job of my pit boss and his staff to make sure no one does. You simply performed better than he—at least until he stopped you from leaving to question you." He leaned a bit forward, his arms still over his chest and added, "But you weren't really counting cards were you, though that is what you claimed. At least, there was more to it than that."

Okay, back to that again.

"You are psychic." He made it a statement, but there was still the question in his eyes.

"You have admitted to essentially being duplicitous in taking money from my casino—yet I have let you keep the sum of your winnings. I have also caught you in the act of your ability. In addition to these things, I have saved your life. I understand keeping your secrets, but I will explain this to you: I am a very old and very powerful vampire. I do what I must for myself and my own, but I will be fair and honest with you, if the courtesy is likewise returned."

I clutched Tina tighter to my chest, wishing that I could disappear into her fur and avoid this. But here I was.

"You are psychic?"

His inflection phrased it more like a question, and I found myself quietly answering.

"No. I'm telepathic."

He started to move forward, but before his boot even hit the bottom step, my breath caught in my throat. That seemed to bring him up short, and he remained on the grass at the foot of the steps.

His eyes were narrowed and his voice cold as he asked, "You hear my thoughts?"

I quickly shook my head. "No. You, Bill, Pam, all vamps seem to be blank holes to me. I think it's 'cause you're dead or something."

His narrowed gaze continued to stare at me, and I could only imagine he was thinking all sorts of vile or terrible things at me to test me. Blissful silence was all that met my ears and head though. It wouldn't have been the first terrible things I'd had people think at me, but it was a relief not to actually have to hear it.

"Are you here spying on my area for another?"

For some reason, the image of Austin Powers popped into my head at the word spy. "Powers by name, powers by reputation," I muttered to myself.

A grin split Eric's face as he laughed and asked, "And do you shag well by reputation, Miss Felicity Shagwell?"

I'm sure my face was as red as an apple, but I still laughed at the thought of a vampire watching any of the _Austin Powers_ movies and being able to quote them.

"No. I'm no spy," I settled on answering.

He moved across the bottom of the steps, standing more directly in front of me, but still remaining on the ground.

"Why did you help Bill?" he asked again.

Now I shrugged. It wasn't like I hadn't heard or felt Sam's disapproval at my actions.

"He was being held down by silver—helpless. No one deserves to be hurt when they're helpless."

"You are an odd human," he said, his head slightly cocked as he looked at me.

"Yeah, cause the hearing thoughts thing seemed so normal. I never guessed that I was odd for a human," I smarted, fighting the urge to roll my eyes.

I could see that he was going to say something, but I interrupted him.

"What now?" I wanted to know. I'd never just told anyone what I was before. At least not someone who could potentially use it against me.

"What now, indeed." He looked me up and down in a speculative manner. I guess I should have been flattered he wasn't checking my teeth like I was a horse he wanted to buy.

"You will use your ability when I have need for it and call on you," he stated, as though it should have been obvious.

"The hell I will," I growled.

His eyes focused on me and I felt that pressure in my brain again. It was much stronger this time, but still easy to bat away.

"That don't work on me," I informed him.

He looked startled and actually blinked several times. "There are other forms of persuasion," he shrugged.

"I've only been living here for a few weeks. If you think I won't just pack up and disappear again, you got another think coming, buddy."

He smiled, the tips of his fangs showing, and I imagined it was probably very much the way sharks smiled. "I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. But you will not go anywhere. You would not wish to see your brother come to harm. Humans injury so _very_ easily."

I felt my heart skip a beat, and I knew from the satisfaction in his eyes that he'd heard it too, even from where he was standing.

Standing my ground, I let my own eyes narrow. "My brother's all I've got left. You hurt him, and your only piece of leverage is out the window. You can't glamor me, so they'll be no forcing me to do anything."

His arms dropped to his sides as he smiled and nodded to me in concession.

"This is quite true. However, I do not wish to force you to do anything. I would much rather you work for me willingly. I would pay you and pay you well for your services. Is this not acceptable?"

My eyes closed as I sighed. It still felt like I was being penned in. And I hated being backed into a corner.

"What is it you want?" his voice gently asked.

I opened my eyes to see him looking at me curiously again.

"To be free."

"Freedom is a relative concept."

"I just want to be as free as any person can be I guess." I remembered something I'd heard once. "'Our freedom can be measured by the number of things we can walk away from.'"

"You are very different from other humans," he replied, but continued before I could come back with anything. "I am not a fool, I want your skills for my use, but I want you to come to me willingly. But you should not be a fool either. I have noticed your differences, and so has Pam. I am quite sure Bill has as well. Other vampires would not do you the kindness of even offering you an illusion of a choice. Others will discover your secret. You could do worse than working for me. I am the lesser of the evils out there."

I vaguely thought that I was actually quite grateful of the little things he was doing, like remaining a careful distance away from me—not crowding me. At least physically. But before that thought could process further, something else he said clicked in my mind.

"You don't think that's why Bill really moved back here do you? I mean, why else would he move back to Bon Temps from New Orleans?"

Eric seemed hesitant but asked, "He said he had been in New Orleans?" When I nodded he continued, almost to himself, "He had reported to me that he had come from Seattle before moving to my area."

"Why would he lie about that?"

"I am not sure, but I will discover the reason. And I am sure it has to do with you, Miss Stackhouse." His answer came with a raised eyebrow.

Well, I couldn't really argue with him. I was starting to think the same thing.

"Why did you come with him to my bar if you do not belong to him?"

"I needed to ask some questions."

"Yes, about dead fangbangers. Why?" he pushed.

I considered my options, but couldn't see the harm in telling him. He could find it out by asking around town anyway.

"They were killed and I'm trying to figure out why. They suspect my brother and I'm trying to clear his name."

"And what if your brother did the deed?"

"He didn't."

"You are certain? You looked into his mind?"

I couldn't really fault him for asking or for wondering about my brother. After all, I had looked into his mind to be sure.

"Yeah. I looked into his mind. He didn't do it."

"And you think a vampire did?" he questioned.

I shook my head. "No, but I thought if I could find out who they hung around with, I might be able to find out who did kill them."

"Your brother allowed you to go to a vampire bar to clear his name?"

"No one _allows_ me to do anything! I'm my own. I decide what I do," I shot back at him, fighting to keep my voice even. He seemed to ignore my reply and moved on.

"By your own admission, this person has killed two women at a minimum, yet you are seeking this person out? Does that seem wise?" he asked, his brow rising again.

I huffed. "It's not like I'm going to go after the guy myself. If I can figure out who did it, I'll tell the police and let them handle it."

"And just what will you tell the human police? That you heard this person's thoughts and know he is the killer?" Surprisingly, his voice wasn't condescending like I expected. Merely inquiring.

"I'll figure something out," I answered. Okay, so I hadn't figured everything out yet. But I would. I had to.

"I will look into the matter. See if I cannot discover who is killing these women."

His offer surprised me. "Why would you?" I wondered out loud.

He shrugged again. "It is part of my duties to maintain order in my area. Fangbangers dying and casting suspicion on my vampires will only hurt relations for all vampires with the humans in this area. Besides, it is too dangerous for a fragile human to handle. You might end up injured or killed and that would be a poor end to your skills."

"What do you mean by your area?"

"I am the sheriff of this area, Area 5."

"Oh! You mean, you're the one Sam called that night," I realized. That explained why he'd known about Bill being injured.

"Yes, and I admit I was curious about the human who would rescue a vampire. Your talents are far too valuable to be wasted by foolishly interceding against a pair of experienced drainers. They would have killed you without a second thought. At least you were wise enough to bring the shifter with you."

I was shocked by how much he seemed to value my curse. But he wasn't throwing me over his shoulder caveman style and forcing me to work for him. "You're not going to try and use finding this killer against me to force me to work for you?"

He answered with another shrug. "As I said, I want your willing cooperation."

I swallowed nervously and finally answered the unasked question. "Thank you. I'll think about it."

"You will not have much time to consider," he warned. "I will give you two nights to consider my proposal. In that time, I will look into the matter and see what I can do to help clear your brother's name. I cannot give you more time I fear. I very much doubt Bill Compton is here at his own behest, if you do not wish for another vampire to take you and force your unwilling cooperation, you need to come to a decision."

With that, he nodded his head, and disappeared. I couldn't even track with my eyes where he'd gone.

I quickly opened the door and collapsed back against it after I'd shut it again.

"Well, this has been one hell of a night, hasn't it, Tina? Welcome to my home," I muttered.

Thoughts of Eric's offer ran through my head. Though I loved my brother dearly, I couldn't help but wonder if it was all worth it. This had certainly been easier when I had no family. And maybe even safer.

But the question was, now that I had found family again, could I give it up and just disappear again?

* * *

**A/N: Sorry that took me a little longer than I wanted to get out. End of the year bookwork has really been taking up a bunch of my time. **

**Thanks so much to everyone for reviewing, it's the kick in the butt I needed to find the time to get this chapter out. Sorry it wasn't longer, but I wanted to get something out. Hopefully it won't be too long until I can get the next one out, hopefully I can find time this weekend. **

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**There are links for them in my profile.**

**Thanks so much for reading and for your reviews!**


	7. Hanging On for Hope

**Chapter 7: Hanging On for Hope**

I woke to the feeling of someone shaking my shoulder. Living alone for the last eight years had conditioned me to react less than favorably to being awoken by someone. At least it was less than favorable for the person doing the waking.

"Son of …" the voice trailed off.

It took me a moment to realize who was in my room and what had happened. As the haziness of sleep fully lifted, I realized I'd rolled over because of the shaking, and had swung one balled up fist at the intruder in my room.

Now Jason was standing in the middle of my room with his head tilted back and holding his hands over his nose.

Scrambling out of bed, I carefully pried his hands away from his nose to inspect. Thankfully, there was only a small trickle of blood, but I still felt terrible.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized as I grabbed a discarded t-shirt from Merlotte's to hold against his nose.

Jason carefully held the t-shirt under his nose as he looked at me. His eyes quickly averted again as he said, "Put some clodes on." It took me a second to work out was his distorted voice was saying, and looking down I realized I had only been sleeping in a t-shirt and underwear. It completely covered me, coming down to mid-thigh, but I guess it was a little strange for a brother to have to see his little sister's legs.

Still, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his modesty while I pulled a pair of boxers on. I'd seen some of the outfits his "dates" wore, and I was far more covered than they generally were.

He carefully pulled the t-shirt away, and I was grateful to see that the trickle of blood had stopped. His reflexes must have been pretty good and allowed him to pull back and not take the full brunt of my swing.

"Shit, Sook, you've got a pretty damn good hook there," he commented, tenderly probing his nose.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I've been hit harder than that before, 'course, not by my little sister. Don't think I'll be telling the guys that," he laughed.

I was amazed at his good humor. I couldn't imagine too many guys handling it this well.

"What are you doing here, Jason?"

He looked confused for a second, and then apparently remembered why he'd come.

"I was wondering if you'd found anything out last night," he said, sitting on the edge of my bed. I guess it had been our Gran's bed, but since it was the largest room on the first floor and had a bathroom, I'd decided to move into it instead of the one across the hall that I'd used as a child.

"Oh yeah, last night," I muttered, memories from the night before flooding back. "Well, I guess I didn't really find anything at Fangtasia. I think I'll have better luck finding something out at work. Those are the people they were both around more during the day," I said, carefully omitting the kind of company they kept at night.

"Oh, you didn't find anything else out last night?" he asked dejectedly, his shoulders slumping. Even with my shields up and his thoughts blocked, I could still feel his despair. I let my shields slide slightly down and caught some of his thoughts. He was worried about losing his job since he'd been called in to the police station and missed some work.

Ignoring his question, I gently told him, "Jason, you really need to get yourself a lawyer. They can't keep hauling you in for questioning and making you miss work if they're not charging you with anything."

I decided not to tell him about anything else that had occurred the night before. Jason had enough on his plate and I was used to handling things on my own anyway. I'd try to decide later after he left what I was going to do.

Something warm and furry wrapped around my ankle, and I looked down to see Tina rubbing and purring against my lower leg, seeking some attention. I picked her up and quickly looked around my room to make sure she hadn't shredded anything. Not knowing what else to do with her last night, I'd brought her into my room, crossing my fingers that she wouldn't tear anything up or need a litter box yet. Sighing, I was happy to see that everything seemed fine.

"You got a cat now, Sook?" Jason asked, looking curiously at the cat in my arms. I nodded. "Where'd you get him?"

"She just showed up on my porch last night, so I decided to keep her. I thought it would be nice to have a quiet roommate to keep me company."

"You gonna call her Dolly too?" he asked with a grin.

"Dolly?" I repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, don't tell me you don't remember Dolly?" he asked in amazement.

"_Who_ was Dolly?" I again repeated in frustration. Darned if I could remember any Dolly. I couldn't remember having any friends growing up. Let alone-one named Dolly.

"She was your doll. You drug her around with you everywhere. You always said she was your best friend 'cause she didn't think bad things about ya." Jason must have seen the blank look on my face because he said incredulously, "I can't believe you don't remember her. You carted that doll with you everywhere you went. You were clutching her the last time I saw you."

I shook my head. "I don't remember any doll," I offered apologetically. I'm sure I did have it when we'd been separated, but I'd learned pretty early on in the foster system to lose any attachment to objects. Until I'd been placed with Jeanie when I was 12, I'd kicked around all over the foster system. I'd never stayed anywhere too long, and objects tended to get left behind each time I'd been moved.

"I figured you'd have her forever," Jason lamented.

"I didn't get to hold onto much of anything, Jason. I got moved around so much that it was too hard to keep track of stuff," I gently explained. I could see Jason struggling to understand just how different our circumstances had been. He'd only been with two families in his years of foster care, while I'd lost track in the earlier years. Sometimes I only stayed for a few weeks or months, though my record was just five nights. Jason had been lucky to know the stability in his life of living with one good family for most of his years of foster care.

Jason's face was drawn together in confusion. "I guess I figured you'd at least remember your favorite doll. It's hard to imagine you not remembering her. I figured you'd forget about me before you'd forget about her."

I sat beside Jason and wrapped my arm over his shoulder. "I might have forgotten about my doll, and I'm sure a lot of other important stuff, but I remembered what really mattered. I remember you and me swimming or fishing in the pond at home. And I remember mama yelling for us to come in for dinner when we were playing in the woods. Those are the memories that really matter, Jason."

He nodded, but didn't say anything and seemed deep in thought. I looked at the bedside clock and saw that it was a little after noon. Jason must have dropped by on his lunch break. Trying to lighten his mood, I stood and told him, "Come on, Jason. I'll fix you some lunch."

I had fixed a few meals for Jason as he helped me with the roof or other things outside, but I still laughed at how his eyes lit up. Jeanie had made sure to teach me to cook before I'd moved out of her house, and she'd been a great cook. I hadn't had much opportunity to cook since I left because it just didn't make sense to go to the effort for just myself, so I was enjoying cooking for Jason and even his buddies when they'd been over to work on the roof.

His eyes already looked brighter as he asked, "Can you make fried chicken again?" I'd made fried chicken when they'd worked on my roof and they'd eaten every scrap of chicken I'd made. I'd have to remember to write or call Jeanie and thank her for giving me her recipe.

"I don't think there's time to make fried chicken, but how about I make you some pork chops and potatoes."

"You got any of those biscuits," he asked excitedly. I'd have to remember that he was a bachelor and used to pizza and beer. Anything else was gourmet cooking.

"I've still got a few left over out in the kitchen," I laughed.

I quickly pulled some clothes on and made myself presentable in the bathroom before meeting Jason in the kitchen. I was setting about frying the pork chops and potatoes on the stove when Jason surprised me by wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his side.

"I'm so glad you're back home now, Sookie. And I wanna thank you for helping me out with this mess. You're a good sister," he whispered into my hair.

I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his side, unused to and uncomfortable with the physical closeness to anyone. It took a lot of effort to keep my shields in place with the physical contact, but as I took in the slightly musky and earthy smell of my brother, I knew I couldn't run away from here. No matter what it took, I'd have to work something out with that vampire. I couldn't give up my first chance at family in almost 19 years.

I had to figure something out.

* * *

The late shift at Merlotte's was shaping up to be one hell of a night. When I'd stopped by the night before to talk with Sam, I knew things had gotten heated between us, but apparently Sam's raised voice had been heard by someone, and news quickly spread that I was going to Fangtasia with vampire Bill as the locals called him. The locals loved gossip, and me heading to a vampire bar was too juicy to keep quiet.

My head was pounding from trying to keep the thoughts out, but I could still hear their hushed whispers. I wanted nothing more than to tell them all to mind their own business, that I had only been trying to help Jason, but of course, I couldn't say anything.

I was stopped filling a tray with sodas for one of my tables when Arlene slide up beside me. Mostly I tried to be polite to her, but I also avoided being around her when I could. Her deception and fake kindness with everyone just irritated me.

"I thought you were smarter than to hang around with those bloodsuckers, Sookie," she tsked.

I ignored her, and continued filling my glasses.

"If you ask me, a different kind of girl like you should stay away from that dead meat and find yourself a nice, normal man. Maybe you'd seem less strange to folk," she continued with her hands on her hips.

Between the headache, Sam's silent treatment, and all the whispering, I was fast losing my last nerve.

"Well Arlene, I don't remember asking you, and I don't think anyone else did either. So keep your opinions to yourself. I hear your taste in men is questionable at best. Besides, I've known humans that were just as bloodthirsty as a vampire," I told her, swinging to face her with a glare.

She huffed and twirled around without a word. I just wish her mind had been silent too.

"You tell her, Sook," Lafayette grinned as I stopped by the kitchen to grab my basket of chicken strips. "She's always sticking her nose in other people's business. You get yo' own, girl."

I smiled kindly at his friendly nature, but ignored his assumption that I was into vampires. Lafayette was kind to me and we were sort of kindred spirits in Bon Temps. I was the strange girl who had moved back to town, and he was probably the only openly gay black resident in the area. And one look at Lafayette was all it took to tell he was gay. I liked him a lot because he was so nice to me, and I could care less about who he slept with, but he wore more make-up than I ever did, and actually looked darned good in it. It was enough to make a girl jealous.

My mood slightly lifted by Lafayette, I grabbed my basket and delivered them to their table.

It was only an hour from closing and a lot of the patrons had cleared out. Jason was still at a table with a couple of his friends, having decided to forego an evening of female companionship in light of current suspicions. I was at the bar filling a pitcher of beer for their table and turned around to see Bill sitting in my section.

After delivering the beer, I struggled to keep the polite neutral smile on my face as I stepped up to Bill.

"What can I get you?" I politely asked.

"Can you sit for a moment and talk?" he asked, indicating to the chair across from him.

I remained on my feet. "What do you want, Bill?" I asked, dropping the pretense of politeness.

"I simply wanted to speak with you. Couldn't you have a seat so we can talk?" he pressed.

I didn't answer and instead turned away. Bill's hand shot out to clamp down on my wrist. I swung back with a glare, but knew better than to try pulling my arm back. If he wanted to hold me there, I wouldn't be going anywhere. But my narrowed gaze and pointed look at my wrist seemed to get through to him. He quickly dropped it.

"I apologize again. I simply wanted to apologize for my behavior last night and explain my actions," he demurred. "It was not my intention to offend you."

I'm sure it wasn't, but that didn't change things.

"Doesn't matter. I don't care what your excuses are. Actions speak louder than words," I told him before turning away again. He let me this time.

It was kind of like abusive husbands in my mind. Sure, they were sorry after what they'd done, and always apologized or tried to explain why it wasn't their fault. But to my way of thinking, it just didn't matter. There was no excuse for that kind of behavior, and I didn't want to hear whatever excuses they had. Excuses were just that and to me, they didn't make up for all bad behavior.

Sam had witnessed our interaction and had reached for his bat under the bar. I was glad to see that he had my back even if he was upset with me. I was also glad that he hadn't rushed in to take over just because Bill had grabbed me.

"You okay, cher?" he did asked when I made my way back to the bar to get drinks for another table.

I smiled gratefully. "I'm fine, thanks Sam." I was glad he was talking to me again. It was strange to be relieved by such a little thing. I wouldn't have cared in the past if my boss hadn't been talking to me. But with Sam, it was different.

Those that were still in the bar had stopped to watch my interaction with Bill, but I was glad to see that they were slowly getting back to their own conversations. I'd gotten a bottle of TrueBlood from our new shipment and silently dropped it off at Bill's table. I knew I should have felt guilty about not even asking him what type he wanted, but I just couldn't feel guilty about it right now.

The locals remaining in the bar carefully watched him from the corner of their eyes, but Bill remained in his seat, slowly sipping his bottled blood.

My head was still pounding from keeping my shields up. There had been too many thoughts focused on me for me to try wading through them in an effort to clear Jason, but I hoped for a better chance tomorrow. It just took too great of an effort to partially lower my shields to catch thoughts of specific people.

Finally, my conscience caught up with me. Carefully sitting on the edge of the seat across from Bill, I told him, "Look, I just wanted to thank you for taking me to Fangtasia last night, even if we didn't find anything, I still appreciate it."

He leaned forward and whispered in a low voice, "What are you?"

I rolled my eyes. At least I was thankful that Eric hadn't said anything to him. "I'm a tired barmaid," I answered, and walked away to begin my end-of-the-shift work.

I was dog-tired when I pulled up to my house. My feet ached, and my head was still pounding. I had taken some aspirin Sam had given me at the bar, but it hadn't kicked in yet.

My situation with the vampire still wasn't resolved, but I hadn't really had the chance to think it over at work. I'd have to get up a little earlier tomorrow and put some thought into it. The vampire, Eric, had given me two nights, but hell, who knew when that clock started ticking, or even if he could really be taken at his word.

All I knew was I needed to come up with some sort of plan. I didn't want to cut and run after becoming friends with Sam and trying to reopen a relationship with my brother, but I'd survived for 26 years by doing what I had to. But cut and run would have to be a last resort.

My hand was just reaching for the doorknob to the backdoor when I felt a weight press against my back and my head slam forward against the door.


	8. I Hope They Get to Me In Time

**Chapter 8: I Hope They Get to Me In Time**

My shields had still been partially in place from working at the bar, but because of the persistent headache and my sheer exhaustion, they had begun slipping. Just as the hands shoved at my back, or maybe I'd even caught it just a split-second before, but I was plunged into dark and twisted thoughts. My mind was filled with the shadows of hate and anger.

Muscles bunching and gathering, I crossed my arms over my chest, and pulled my head down and to the side as I was shoved forward. My head still slammed into the door, but now I took the brunt of the blow to the side of my head instead of the front or temple. With my arms still braced against my chest, I let my body easily slid down the door to the floor, forcing the man's hands to release his grip on me.

Twisting my body around, I kicked outward as hard as I could, connecting with an audible crunch to his kneecap. He slumped forward, bracing himself against the door. Since my access to the house was now cut off, I scrambled down the few steps from my back door and away from my attacker.

"Get back here, you bitch!" he snarled at me, struggling to straighten from his bent position to follow me.

Only when I'd reached my car door, did I realize it was locked and my keys were in my purse. Which was probably sitting on the steps to the backdoor where I'd dropped it. Shit, that was real helpful.

I darted a look over my shoulder, my former exhaustion having fled with my current infusion of adrenaline, and saw Rene limping down the steps towards me. He didn't appear to have any other weapons but I'd seen the cord he held when I'd kicked him, but I didn't want to hang around to find out if he had anything else. I had no choice, so I made a dash for the line of trees in the direction of the cemetery. There was only one person who lived anywhere near me. And the fact that he wasn't living wasn't about to stop me from hoping he'd be some kind of help.

I recognized Rene as not only a former husband and current boyfriend of Arlene, but also a sometimes friend of Jason's. He'd even helped reroof my house and been inside when I'd cooked them food. But now his thoughts were overshadowed with darkness and hate. His view of me was twisted and distorted, viewing me as a wonton woman, spreading my legs and suggestively rubbing my thigh and neck, both stained red from bite marks.

"Come back here, you fangbanging whore!" his voice rang out behind me.

When I'd been living with Jeanie in Bonita, I'd played a little softball, so I knew how to run, but running in the pitch-dark was another story. I hadn't gotten far into the tree line when my toe caught on an old tree stump and sent me sprawling into the dirt, knocking the wind out of me.

Gasping for air, I staggered to my feet, trying to get my body and lungs working again to resume my flight. I'd barely pulled myself to my feet and made a step, when Rene shoved me forward, causing me to once again sprawl in the dirt and grass on my face. I was shoved onto my back.

Rene must have dropped the cord he'd been holding, because his bare hands wrapped around my neck, squeezing and pressing downward. The darkness and hate was overwhelming my senses, so I closed my eyes for a moment and gathered my body. I was never one to go down without a fight.

Twisting my hand between our bodies, I thrust upwards aiming for his nose with the heel of my hand. Then I heaved my body sideways, causing him to fall off me as he cupped his nose and cussed me.

I'd just gotten to my feet and run a few short steps when I realized the pressing dark thoughts were cut off.

Bracing myself against a tree, I hesitantly turned around.

"You don't hurt Miss Sookie none," a dark-haired vampire growled at Rene's crumpled form on the ground. I couldn't see his face, but from the twisted shape of Rene's body, I could tell even without my gift that he wouldn't be hurting me or anyone else again.

The vampire looked up at me, then rushed at vampire speed to stop in front of me. He looked at me and made to hesitantly touch the side of my head, then my throat, but never actually reached out fully and connected with my flesh. Dropping his hands, he started wringing them as he dropped his eyes as though he was flustered.

"I am so sorry Miss Sookie. I was suppose to be watchin' ya, but I found a real tasty cat in the woods and didn't hear ya come home. I'm so sorry you got hurt some. Mister Eric told me I was suppose to make sure you was okay," he said dejectedly.

I was reeling from so many things. The fact that Rene lay dead not 10 feet away, that Eric had apparently sent a vampire to watch over me, that the vampire had been eating a cat (Did vampires really drink animal blood too? I'd have to ask someone) and most importantly of all, that the man from Memphis was standing in front of me and had saved my life.

My hand reached up to massage my aching throat as I watched the former king shift from foot to foot, obviously uncomfortable. I knew, but I still reached out with my mind to confirm that I was in fact seeing the telltale signs of a vampire. The blank whole confirmed it.

"Mister Eric is gonna be real mad at me for lettin' you get hurt," he murmured.

"You saved my life, Mister …" I croaked, my voice trailing off. Just what did one refer to the former king as?

"You can call me Bubba, Miss Sookie," he answered brightly.

I'd been around enough troubled kids in the foster system to recognize the signs of someone who wasn't quite right. The rapid changes in mood, and his body language screamed that he was someone who was a little off, so I simply smiled and nodded. I knew better than to contradict him and call him anything else. It might just upset him. And an upset vampire wasn't something I wanted to see.

"I'm sure Eric won't be mad at you for saving me," I assured him when he nervously looked back at the body.

But now came the problem of deciding what to do. I couldn't very well have the police show up and try to explain—Bubba—to them. Though, I guess that probably accounted for all the sightings of him. And I also couldn't very well tell the police that I'd been the one to twist Rene's head around like that.

Deciding that regardless of the next step, I wanted to be in the comfort and safety of my home, I turned back the way I'd come. "Why don't we head back to the house and figure out what to do next, Bubba."

"Sure, sugar," he grinned, and then surprised me by gently wrapping one arm around my waist and lightly gripping my elbow between us. "I'll help you back to the house. I know it's real dark for humans and I don't want you to get hurt none again."

True I hadn't been around vampires much, but from the little I had been, they didn't seem to make much physical contact with anyone, unless they were taking blood or having sex with them. But Bubba gently guided me back to the house, all the while gently humming _Suspicious Minds_. Talk about surreal.

The light near the back door was still gently lighting up the area, so I was able to easily pick up my purse and pull out my keys. I could see Rene's discarded cord lying on the bottom step as well, but I carefully stepped over it, and left it where it was.

I hesitated before opening the door, trying to decide what to do about my savior. He didn't seem right in the head. But he'd saved my life, and seemed to be just fine if you talked carefully to him.

Sliding my keys into the lock, I told him, "You're welcome to come on in the house, Bubba."

He gave a lopsided grin. "That sure is nice of you Miss Sookie. You're a real nice lady."

I turned on the lights, and watched over my shoulder as Bubba followed me through the door and into the kitchen.

I pointed to one of the chairs at the table for him to sit down, and slumped into another one myself. "Have a seat," I offered.

"Sure, sugar," he agreed as he too lowered onto a seat. "You're a real nice girl and I'd be mighty interested if Mister Eric hadn't told me you was off limits." My eyebrows rose at his strange compliment and statement, but his brows furrowed and he started to look upset again and he added, "Actually, Mister Eric said I wasn't 'spose to talk to you or be bothering you none."

I could see he looked worried and upset, so I reached across the table and gently patted his hand. "But Eric told you to watch and protect me, right? So you had to talk to me after you saved me, and you sure aren't bothering me," I assured him.

The smile instantly returned to his face as he looked back up at me. "That's true," he agreed.

"Bubba, I think I need to talk to Eric. Do you know how I can get a hold of him?" I asked, deciding that after all the "Mister Eric says," stuff, I better get the man—well—vampire himself over here to help with the situation. I'd already decided there was no way I could call the police until I'd gotten rid of Bubba. It just wouldn't be safe for the police, or Bubba, otherwise.

"Sure! I got this cell phone he gave me with his number in it. He calls me to tell me where I can find cats he leaves for me. That Mister Eric is real nice, he gets me plenty of cat blood so I don't have to find any myself," he said enthusiastically as he handed me a cell phone from his pocket. I felt myself turn a little green at the mention of his apparent diet, but I tried to ignore it and focus on his wardrobe instead.

I hadn't taken the time to look it over before, but I did now. He was dressed in a pair of camouflage army type pants, and a black t-shirt.

He saw my gaze and proudly told me, "I've got my army duds on."

I smiled kindly. "I can see that. You look real good, too."

Looking over into the living room, I could see that Tina was curled up asleep on my couch. I was glad to see everything in the house still seemed undisturbed by her. I'd gotten her supplies and a litter box, and was pleased to see that she was such an easy pet to have. Not a single mess or shredded anything.

"You know I've got a cat, right Bubba? But you can't eat her. She's my pet," I hesitantly asked.

He nodded vigorously. "She smells real good, but Mister Eric made me promise I would leave her alone. He said he'd get me plenty of cats so long as I leave your kitty alone."

I looked down at the cell phone in my hand. Bubba didn't make any move to take it back from me, and was actually looking off a ways and seemed to be humming again. I wasn't sure what it was this time, but I thought it might be something from one of his movies, maybe _Blue Hawaii_.

Scrolling through the few entries on the phone, I found what appeared to be one for Eric's cell phone.

"Bubba, I told you to focus on watching the girl and do nothing else," Eric's frustrated voice immediately answered.

I saw Bubba's worried look at Eric's words. "He was watching me just fine," I answered him. "But I think I need you to come over so we can talk."

There was a moment of silence, then, "Your voice sounds odd, Sookie. What is wrong? Why do you have the phone I gave Bubba?"

"He's right here," I told him, making an effort to even out my voice and keep it from sounding as deep and slightly gravelly as it still was. "I think you need to come over here so we can talk."

"I will come," then he hung up.

"So much for good-bye," I muttered.

"Mister Eric will be here soon. He'll know what to do," Bubba assured me, and then went back to humming.

It took an effort to keep from snorting. Yeah, I'm sure that vampire had plenty of experience with dead bodies.

Handing the cell phone back to Bubba, I told him, "You'd best go back out to the woods or wherever you've been at. I've got to call the police now, and it would be best if you weren't here when they get here."

"Sure, Miss Sookie." He nodded and left quickly out the back door without another word.

I made my way to the phone on the wall, and quickly called 911 to have them send the police out. I wasn't sure how long it would take Eric to get here, but I knew it would take the police a while to come. Especially since I wouldn't tell the dispatcher why I needed the police to come out.

Turned out, Eric was able to beat them by a ways. He must have been close by.

Pounding sounded at my back door, and I swung it open to find Eric. He was dressed in black jeans and t-shirt and a black leather jacket. Eric had obviously picked up Rene's makeshift garrote for it was tightly clenched in his hand. He leaned forward, his body seeming to brace against the invisible barrier of the threshold. His eyes were fixed on my throat and I'm sure the bruises and welts that were beginning to appear as he spoke.

"What has happened?"

I cleared my throat, trying to make it sound normal. "I found the man who was killing women. Or rather, he found me."

His fingers tightened even more on the cord in his hand. His eyes searched my face. "Where was Bubba when this man attacked you?" His voice was deep, but deadly calm in its intensity.

My eyes narrowed, probably because I knew Bubba was a bit off, and because he'd saved my life, but I felt very protective of him. "He saved my life," I told him firmly.

"Where is the human?"

"Bubba, ugh, killed him," I said quietly.

"Good," he said vehemently.

I decided not to think about that at the moment. "That's actually what I needed to talk to you about. We need to figure out what to tell the police."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Are you damaged?" he asked, gesturing to my throat.

I shook my head. "I'll be fine." Finally coming to a decision, I stepped back and said, "Why don't you come on in."

Carefully stepping over the threshold, he stepped in front of me and gently touched the side of my head, his fingers coming away tipped with red. I felt the side of my head and felt a bump, but also the telltale wetness of blood. There didn't seem to be a lot, so I guessed it had stopped bleeding.

I tried to ignore the way Eric brought his fingers to his lips and licked the blood away, his eyes closing in pleasure.

"I could close that gash for you," he offered. Seeing my confusion he explained, "Our saliva has properties to clot blood and close wounds."

"Eww," I instantly said. "No."

The corner of Eric's mouth twitched. "I could heal the gash and your bruises both another way. If you took my blood, you would be healed."

I kept from saying "eww" this time, but barely. "That's okay, I think I'll live. Besides, I have no desire to become a vampire."

"It would not turn you, merely heal you," he offered.

Shaking my head, I insisted, "No thanks."

"Are you not in pain? I could take it away."

Shaking my head, I insisted. "Right now I'll take the pain. It reminds me I'm alive."

His cool hands grasped my chin, turning my head back and forth and lightly tracing the bruises I was sure marred my neck. I was surprised at his gentle touch.

Dropping his hands he said, "Tell me what happened."

I quickly recounted the story, and finished by telling him I had called the police. He stepped back outside and made a brief phone call.

Coming back in a few moments later, he said, "I have informed Bill to tell the police if they ask that I was visiting at his home when I heard your screams and came upon the human attacking you."

I nodded in agreement. Worked for me, I just didn't want to have to explain Bubba to anyone.

"Where were you?" I asked. He looked at me with puzzlement. I clarified. "You got here so quick. Where had you been that you got here so quick? And how'd you get here? I don't see your car."

"I was sniffing around Bon Temps to see what I could discover about who was killing those women. I was speaking with Sam when you called," he explained, and then he smirked. "I still have my secrets."

It surprised me that he actually had been looking for the killer. I just wish he'd found Rene first.

The backdoor was still open, and suddenly Bill filled the doorway.

"I have located the area where the body is. His neck is broken as you said. I have also taken Bubba back to my home and will keep him out of sight," Bill reported, nodding stiffly to Eric. Turning to me he said, "I am terribly sorry I did not realize you were in distress, Sookie. It grieves me that you were harmed."

My smile was watery, but I said, "Thanks, Bill. That's very nice of you."

He nodded to both Eric and me again, and then disappeared in a blur. The police arrived almost as soon as he left.

I invited Sheriff Bud Dearborn and Andy Bellefleur into the kitchen. Bud immediately noticed the bruises and looked suspiciously at Eric.

"This vampire get rough with you, Sookie?" he asked derisively.

Eric didn't move from his position leaning against my kitchen counter-top with his arms crossed. But I sighed at the narrow minded bigotry. It was always the same—fear and blame what was different. I'd seen it and felt it my whole life.

I sat at the table and gestured towards Eric. "This is Eric; he's an acquaintance of Bill's and was at his place visiting when he heard me scream." Now I had their attention. They sat at the table and listened intently to me as I once again recounted the tale, this time spinning the story to portray Eric having overheard the attack and coming upon Rene choking me.

"We'll need to see the body, Miss Stackhouse," Bud told me apologetically.

"I can take you to the body," Eric offered. He obviously thought I wouldn't want to see it again.

"That's okay, Eric. I'll be fine," I told him resolutely, rising from my seat.

We trooped through the woods once again. Bud and Andy had their flashlights out to help see their way, but Eric once again surprised me by taking my elbow and guiding me. He seemed to know right where he was headed. I wondered if he could smell it. Vampires were supposed to have superior senses and all.

Eric and I simply stood by as Andy and Bud crouched over the body and examined it. I could hear them both wondering if Rene had killed the other girls or if he had only been after me, thinking we had been sleeping together and maybe had an argument.

"He killed those other girls, and even his own sister," I informed them.

"How'd you figure that?" Bud drawled.

I swallowed and quickly lied, "He told me that when he was choking me. He said that he would kill me just like he'd killed those other fangbanging sluts and his sister." Well—he'd kind of told me. Just with his thoughts, not his words.

"I am certain you will find traces of his other victims on the cord he used," Eric informed them from beside me. He'd already handed the cord over to the police when I'd been telling the story in the kitchen.

"Why'd he attack you, Sookie?" Andy asked.

"I'm guessing he heard the gossip around town that I'd gone to Fangtasia with Bill and assumed I was a fangbanger too," I explained.

Eric snorted scornfully, but didn't comment. Something else I didn't want to consider.

"You're hanging around vampire bars, Sookie? I doubt your father would have approved of that," Bud scolded with a shaking head. I looked into his mind and saw memories of him as a younger man, apparently good friends with my father.

"My parents are dead, Sheriff Dearborn, so they don't approve or disapprove of much of anything. If I want to go to a vampire bar with my friend and neighbor—well, I don't think that's anyone's business," I said, my voice choked and breaking from trying to speak in a louder tone against the pain.

Andy shifted from foot to foot, and then stepped away to call in to dispatch to send for the coroner and paramedics. When he came back, he and Bud silently ushered us back to the house.

Soon there was a swirl of activity as they came to collect Rene's body, take pictures, and collect any evidence they could find. An ambulance came to check me out and they took pictures of me as well.

After repeating the altered version of the events for what felt like the hundredth time, and assuring the paramedics that I was just fine with the bandaging they had done for the cut on my head, I finally saw Bud and the last of the police off. I turned to go back through the backdoor and was startled to see Eric casually leaning against the side of the house near the door.

He'd disappeared shortly after Bud had taken his statement, but nobody had commented, preferring his absence. Bud had been too terrified to even contemplate arresting Eric, and had just taken down his contact information with his statement. It seemed to be a clear case of justifiable homicide, and even though there were some regulations on how to handle those cases involving a vampire, Bud was too scared of Eric to follow them. Our sheriff just wanted to close the case and get away from the imposing vampire.

"Where'd you disappear to?" I asked him as I opened the door.

He followed me through the door. "I had some business to attend to while the humans were taking care of theirs." He walked to my freezer and opened it up.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice cracking. I was almost hoarse now. After repeating my story so many times, the pain in my throat was continuing to build as it continued to swell.

Eric reached into the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen peas, pressing it lightly to my sore throat. "The human said you should apply cold to your throat to reduce the swelling," he explained, referring to what the paramedic had told me.

"I didn't realize you'd heard that," I murmured.

"Vampires have very good hearing, and I was never far," he replied as he started moving about my kitchen.

I sat at the table and enjoyed the cooling sensation of the makeshift cold pack as I watched Eric zip about. He heated a mug of water in the microwave then placed a chamomile tea bag in the heated water. He even added some honey to the cup as he stirred it.

"Here, this will sooth your throat and ease the inflammation," he told me as he handed me the mug.

I was surprised at not only his knowledge of tea, but also his ability to make it, simple though it was. I sipped it gratefully, whispering, "Thank you."

He nodded to me, and then returned to leaning against the counter-top while watching me.

"You broke the human's nose and kneecap before Bubba killed him," Eric suddenly commented.

I was startled by his comment. "Yeah," I dumbly responded, not knowing what else to say.

"You are strong—for a human," he amended.

I shrugged but didn't know how to reply.

"Why did you fight back? Not many humans would have."

"He was going to kill me, so I didn't have much choice but to fight back. Not like I haven't been mugged before, so I know what to do." It was just one of many things I didn't like about working and living in larger cities. Pay was better at bars and restaurants and there were more casinos, but crime like mugging was more prevalent too.

"You have a brother, why would he allow you to be in situations where you could be mugged?"

"I'm a grown woman. My brother doesn't have any say in what I do. Besides, we didn't grow up together, I only just moved back home," I told him, incredulous at the notion of me living under my brother's thumb. I'd lived on my own way too long to imagine that kind of existence.

"Yes, my investigating revealed that you lived apart from your brother after your parents died. But I have been unable to locate any trace of where you went shortly after the time you left foster care."

I shrugged, shifting the bag of peas against my throat to take another sip of tea. "I lived a little of everywhere," I answered shortly.

"It has been a long difficult night for you and I am sure you are still hurting and sore. I will go and allow you some sleep. I hope for the time being you will remain safe as the killer is not on the loose," he quietly said, and started making his way for the door.

It didn't go over my head that he was leaving out the supposed threat of some other vampire finding out about my ability and trying to get me under their control.

I tossed the peas down on the table by my mug and walked the tall vampire to the door. He turned to face me once he had stepped outside. Looking up at him, I took the time to appreciate his massive height for the first time. I wondered how old he was and where he had been from. Something in my mind screamed that he was a Viking, but I wasn't sure why I thought that.

"Good-night, Miss Stackhouse." His voice was quiet, but I could see the hint of question in his eyes. He hadn't once pushed to ask about whether or not I'd work for him. Maybe he thought I couldn't handle anymore tonight. But the question was still in his eyes.

"Yes," I told him.

"Yes? Yes what?" he repeated in surprise.

"I'll work for you. Provided we can iron out some details and come up with an agreement," I answered before my resolution could flee.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I am certain we can reach an agreement. We can even draw up a contract if it would appease you. But you should rest. I will speak more with you tomorrow evening if I may. I actually have a problem I think you can help me with. But for now, go. Rest," he commanded.

I was too tired and sore to argue. As he walked down the steps, I called out to him. "Thank you for your help tonight, and for sending Bubba to watch me. It was high-handed, but I do appreciate it. I might be dead if not for Bubba."

He turned around at the bottom step to look at me. "Why are you saying yes? Is it because you are frightened after what happened tonight?"

"I don't know exactly. Or at least I'm not sure if I can put it into words. My head tells me not to trust you, but my gut says I can. Maybe you'll drain me tomorrow, but my gut says you won't. I won't lie, I'm still scared of you and what you could do to me, but I don't think you'll kill me," I answered, leaning against the doorjamb.

"You trust me?" he said in surprise.

I gave a short laugh. "Don't know about that. Guess I trust you not to kill me."

He looked at me strangely, and then said, "That's crazy."

He disappeared before I could open my mouth to reply.

"And that's not crazy?" I muttered at his quick disappearance, turning around to go back inside.

* * *

**A/N: As always, let me know what you think. I loved all your guesses about who the attacker was!**

******Big thank you to all of the reviewers! It's the best thanks a writer can get!**

**I've got a fun twitter button that I came up with and have posted on my wordpress site. You can find the link to the site in my profile as my homepage, and it's at the bottom of my wordpress site. I'll also put a link in my profile to the button so you can check it out. I think it's cute. **

**Also, Fairyblood has started a fanfic reading group on her blog. It's like any reading group, only it's about fanfics and meets in a chat room to discuss stories. Each day of the week is dedicated to certain types of fanfics, and there is a calendar to show what fics are being discussed each day. I think it's a great idea, and if you haven't checked it out, go do it!**

**Here's the link to her blog, you can find the reading group from there. **

**http: / / fairybloodsfantasies . blogspot . com (Just take the spaces out)**

**Please check it out. I really do think it's a great idea and pass the word on to others for her. **


	9. Jaded Memory

**Chapter 9: Jaded Memory**

I tried to roll over in bed, but my legs were pinned down under the covers. Thinking I'd left some clothes on the bed, I pushed at them with my foot only to realize it was too heavy.

Maybe it was Tina. No. Still too heavy.

What the hell could be on my bed and be heavier than Tina?

Sitting up with a start, I was faced with my boss's bare backside. A very nice rear end, I'll admit, but still.

Tossing the bedcovers over his curled up, sleeping form on the corner of the bed, I sprang up yelling, "What the hell are you doing here, Sam?" My voice and throat instantly hurt and constricted from still being bruised and swollen, but I was too upset at the moment.

Obviously startled, he sprang up, the covers falling away from his body. I twirled around, throwing my hands over my eyes. "Jesus Christ, Sam! Where are your clothes and what the hell are you doing here?" I exclaimed in a harsh whisper, my voice dropping several octaves from my pained throat.

I could hear the sheets rustling and then Sam sheepishly said, "You can turn around now, Sookie."

I glanced over my shoulder to see him standing next to my bed with the top sheet wrapped around his waist and held up with one hand. The thin piece of fabric did nothing to ease my mind, so I rifled through my dresser to find a pair of my sweatpants that I wore when the rest of my wardrobe was getting a little snug.

Tossing them at Sam, I said, "Put those on. I'm not talking to you when you're dressed only in my bed sheet. This isn't some frat party." Going back to the dresser, I grabbed another pair of sweatpants to slip on myself. I wasn't having this conversation with me only in a t-shirt either.

When I turned back around, Sam was wearing my sweatpants, slung low on his hips, and they still came up his calves a bit too. The sight would have been comical if I hadn't still been so ticked at finding Sam naked on my bed.

"Now what the hell were you doing here naked, Sam Merlotte?" I demanded.

Sam coughed. "I meant to wake up before you got up and be out in the living room," he quietly admitted, looking embarrassed.

"But what the hell were you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. I heard what happened last night, so I came over to keep an eye on you. Why didn't you call me to let me know what happened? I'd have come right over," he told me.

I huffed. "There were enough people over here last night. And I'm just fine; Rene's gone so there was no reason to come watch over me."

Sam took a step closer. "You could have been killed last night, Sookie. And now Eric Northman is poking around and claiming that you're part of his retinue. You're getting in over your head. Do you realize what kind of danger you're going to be in now?"

Sighing, I admitted, "Probably not. But I don't see much of any way around it." Jerking my head towards the door, I added, "Come on; let's head out to the kitchen."

Sam leaned against the counter as I readied a pot of coffee. Hopefully the warm liquid would not only wake me up, but also sooth my throat like that tea had last night. My eyes carefully avoided the expanse of Sam's skin. He wasn't a huge man, but he was well built and lean. I'd seen him with his shirt off behind the bar unloading liquor deliveries, but somehow the experience was different when I was seeing him this way in my own house.

"But why were you on my bed naked?" I pressed.

Sam looked sheepish again. "I shifted and ran over from the bar when I heard. I didn't mean to fall asleep last night. It's nearly impossible to hold forms when sleeping."

I nodded in understanding as I pulled mugs out. "Yeah, but with Rene gone, there's not really any need to watch over me," I pointed out.

"You're still in danger, Sookie. It's only a matter of time before more people in the Supe world find out about you. Eric's the one who stopped by the bar to tell me what happened and say you wouldn't be coming in for work today. He said you had been a little ruffed up, but he didn't say how bad it was." One hand reached out to tilt my head to the side as I brought him a mug of coffee.

"It's just bumps and bruises," I automatically responded, gently pulling away and sitting next to Sam at the table.

Sam sighed, but silently drank some of the coffee I'd brought him.

"I'm just fine to come into work," I assured Sam.

He shook his head. "You should stay home and rest, at least today, cher. I doubt Arlene'll make it in, but I can get a few of the part timers to come in and cover for you both. Don't even worry about it, Sookie. Just take care of yourself."

For the first time I thought about Arlene. She'd been married to Rene and had gotten back together with him recently. She and her kids would be devastated.

It finally hit me. Someone had died last night. It didn't matter that he had been a killer. People had loved him. People would mourn him. And not matter what, I'd had a hand in his death.

"You alright, cher?" Sam asked. I wasn't even sure when he'd moved to kneel in front of me.

Swiping at the tears blurring my vision, I answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. I think it all just really hit me for the first time."

He nodded and squeezed my knee in understanding as he rocked back on his heels. I sprang to my feet and carried our mugs to the sink. "Well, I suppose you need to get back to the bar to get things opened," I said in a rush.

Sam must have sensed my need to be alone. "Yeah, I guess I should. But Sook, promise me you'll come to me if you need help or you're in trouble again."

I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak without breaking. My hands busily scrubbed at the two mugs as I fought to keep my emotions at bay. I vaguely heard the door open and close, and when I was sure I was once again alone, I treaded out to the living room, and collapsed on the couch.

Curling up on my side, I felt a few more stray tears race down my cheeks. It had been easy to remain numb to everything last night. Over the years, I'd perfected how to keep the bad stuff blocked out.

It was easier to keep yourself numb and unfeeling to the horrible things happening around you than to let yourself feel it and break down. But in letting myself think about Arlene and the devastation she and her children would be facing, my barriers broke and realization slapped me hard.

Bad things had happened to me before, but since coming home, this was the second time I'd been so near death. In more ways than one.

Not only had I seen a man die last night, I'd also come within another small squeeze of being dead myself.

And what was worse, I felt guilty for being grateful that I was alive while Rene was dead. All I could see were the sad faces of Arlene's children as I drifted off into a troubled sleep.

* * *

I'd finally collapsed onto my bed for a long nap later in the afternoon. I'd allowed myself to have a pity party for myself on the couch, and then I'd gone outside, determined to do something productive and get my mind off the night before.

Gardening had been Gran's forte, and I'd never needed to before, but I decided to attempt it. The rosebushes in particular were overgrown and needed pruning. It had been surprisingly cathartic and kept my mind off what was going on in my life. I could have been doing it all wrong for all I knew, but that wasn't the point at the moment.

Plus, I was wonderfully worn out by the time I'd come back inside and was able to drift off to sleep as soon as I laid down.

Several people had stopped by to see me, including Jason, but I was able to assure everyone I was well, and simply wanted some space. Jason had been difficult to make except that. He felt guilty since Rene had been his friend, but it wasn't like _he_ was telepathic and could tell what was going on in the mind of his friends.

It sure made me feel less guilty about the times I'd looked into other people's minds though. I would have hated to have been blindsided with something like that from someone I considered a friend.

Jason had been difficult to convince, but once he saw that I was really okay, just a little rough looking, I was able to persuade him into making some phone calls and spreading the word that I just wanted some privacy. I was glad the visits and sympathetic looks had finally stopped. And the bringing of food.

Southern tradition had always dictated that when times were troubled, you brought the downtrodden food. Somehow that was supposed to fix things I guess. Though, I'd never figured how me putting on 10 pounds would fix anything.

And it was starting to make me feel like I was the one who had been killed and all neighbors were bringing food for my funeral. Actually, it was kind of strange to realize that Southern tradition was to bring food for a wedding or a funeral. Just went to prove that food means a lot to a Southerner. It's the cure-all and the perfect way to celebrate.

Now I just wanted to lie down and sleep until I had forgotten that any of it had ever happened. Or that anything bad had ever happened to me.

If only it was that easy.

* * *

I could feel the bed gently depress as his larger body slid in next to me.

My eyes remained closed as I tried to feign sleep.

For several moments, he lay in stillness next to me and it gave me false hope that he would believe my false slumber.

Large hands carefully lifted up the edge of my nightgown as his hand slid along the contours of my thigh.

My heart was racing but still I remained motionless, as though it would all blow away if I didn't move.

The hand moved towards my inner thigh and I could remain still no longer. He was so much bigger than me that I knew fighting back was probably useless. His body was larger and stronger—he could take whatever he wanted, and there was little I could do about it.

My hands flew to his wrists as my knees pulled protectively up to my chest. I tried to push him away, but as I had known, it was like pushing on a brick wall.

"Please," my choked voice sobbed as tears leaked from around my closed eyes.

"I will not hurt you," his voice replied.

That's what he always said, and God help him, he really believed it, but I still knew the touching was wrong.

"Please, I don't want to. Please," I continued sobbing as his immense hands broke from my grasp to clasp around my upper arms.

He started shaking me as he repeated my name.

I wasn't that little girl anymore.

I had curled into a ball before, praying for him to stop touching me and leave me alone, but I wasn't that frightened child again.

I had grown up. I was a woman now, and I had promised myself that I would always fight back.

Even if I was going to be overpowered and defeated, I'd long ago decided I'd rather go down fighting.

My body instantly reacted by thrashing and lashing out at him. Striking and kicking wherever I could land a blow.

"I told you to leave me alone! I told you never to touch me again!" My voice was coming out as more of a screech and felt sore and raw, but I didn't have time to think about it.

Suddenly, my body was pinned down and immobilized. I could feel a leg thrown over mine, pinning them down while his hands pulled my arms high above my head before pinning them down as well.

At least I'd fought back and landed a few good blows. I could console myself with that fact. My head turned to the side and my eyes squeezed even further shut as I braced myself for what was to come.

His large hand was able to gather my hands into one grip, leaving his other hand free.

Only—his hand grasped my chin and pulled it towards him.

Very softly and gently, the deep voice probed, "Sookie? Sookie, look at me."

My eyes slowly opened. "Eric?" I wondered. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of my room as I took in where I was.

As my awareness of reality came back to me, Eric carefully released my hands.

Out of habit, I instantly sat up and scooted away from him to the edge of the bed. My arms wrapped protectively around my legs as I drew them up to my chest and rocked slightly.

Seconds or minutes could have passed, but Eric remained completely still. He was still stretched out on his side on my bed. Though his gaze was fixed on me, I couldn't begin to fathom what those eyes were seeing or what his mind was thinking.

It should have been my first clue that something was different and I was only having a nightmare. I'd always been forced to endure not only his physical touch, but his mental touch as well. I hadn't lived there long enough for his physical touch to leave any lasting damage, but his mental one had. Being immersed in his sick, twisted thoughts as a child obviously still haunted me to this day, though it had been a couple of years since the last time I'd had a nightmare.

I reached out with my mind, to reassure myself that this was indeed Eric and that his mind was the fast becoming familiar blank hole.

Of course, just when I reach out to reassure myself of the void in his mind, I slip right through a filmy barrier and fall into the snake pit.

Unfortunately, I'd been in worse minds, but I was still momentarily startled by the dark and twisting thoughts. But as I froze and examined them, I realized they were more like dark and twisted briar. It was hard and knotted—with lots of thorns—but it didn't seem as sinister when I examined them more carefully.

But then, his thoughts themselves could have had something to do with that. His gaze had softened as he looked at me. He didn't pity me—and I was damn thankful of that—but there was a strange understanding and sympathy in his thoughts that I didn't understand. He kept expecting a stream of tears to fall now that he had woken me up fully, but when I didn't, his emotions shifted to pride.

It had taken fractions of a second to slip into his mind and back out again. But I was left almost as shaken by that as I had been by my nightmare.

Springing to my feet, I hastily pulled some sweatpants on under my nightgown. "Well, why doesn't everybody just invite themselves into my bed today," I grumbled, forcing nonchalance to cover not only my nightmare but also my still reeling mind at my glimpse into a vampire's thoughts. I'd already decided it was impossible and concluded that as dangerous as they were, I didn't ever _want_ to read their minds.

I glanced back at Eric still watching my every movement from the side of my bed. He looked like he was lounging comfortably and nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened, but I could see the slight assessing glint in his gaze.

"What were you doing in my bed?" I asked, my breathing and heart rate normalizing as I struggled to do the same with our conversation. I had always been determined not to allow my past to control or rule me. And no matter how terrifying my nightmare had been, I wouldn't let it rule me now any more than I had then.

Though his face gave very little away, I could almost see the understanding in Eric's eyes. He gave the barest of nods, almost as though he were having a conversation with himself, then his face spilt into a large grin as he played along and answered, "I was trying to snuggle."

I gave a short laugh at that, and actually managed a smile. _Whoda'ave thought, a snuggling vampire. And I thought Snuggles was a bear._

"What are you doing here?" I tried again, a small smile still remaining. I was surprised that my bedside clock showed it was so early in the evening. Eric must have come here from wherever he'd been, right after first dark.

His feet swung over the side of my bed as he sat up and leaned back on his braced arms. I took note of the fact that he had surprisingly slipped his boots off before slipping into my bed.

The gaze he threw me was almost apologetic as he said, "I have need of your skill tonight at my bar. But I also came to check on your well-being after the previous night."

I decided to address his last comment first. "I'm just fine," I swiftly assured him. I could feel my nervous smile slip into place as I tried to forget just how I'd awoken to his presence. It had taken me years to break my habitual nervous smile, so I forced it away now as I also tried to push away my earlier reaction. "Just what do you need me to do at your bar? I'm guessing it's not waitressing."

The corner of his lip quirked up. "I am certain I could think of several other tasks more deserving of your talents than waitressing." Suddenly, he was standing in front of me, lightly sliding the back of his forefinger across my cheek. "Many things indeed," his voice rumbled.

My heart rate once again skyrocketed, and I stepped back as I nervously looked away.

It wasn't just the things that had happened to me as a child—though that was part of it—it was mostly my total lack of experience that made me avoid even considering the carnal pleasures in life. Getting that close and intimate with a man had never seemed possible before, so I'd never allowed myself to dwell on the prospect.

One way or another, people had always found me strange, or I'd simply been a stranger, so it had rarely been much of an issue in the past. Now there was a massive vampire staring down at me, making his own interest very well known, and it was simply overwhelming. Too overwhelming to even think about at the moment.

Fighting the blush I was sure was rising on my cheeks, I rephrased, "What did you need help with at your bar?"

Stepping back and once again becoming all business, he said, "There are still some matters we need to discuss, but I would also like your assistance with a problem at the bar. My accountant has informed me that a sum of money is missing from the accounting, and I would like your aid in discovering who stole from me."

I remembered my own experience after I had been caught "counting cards" at the Starlight Casino, and wondered what would happen to the culprit. I remembered him telling me he didn't blame me since it was my job to try and "swindle" money from his casino, but I wondered just what his views would be when it came to his own employees. Somehow, I doubted they would be similar.

"You can't kill anyone that I find, okay?" I didn't want to have the feeling of any more blood on my hands. Working through the guilt of Rene's death was going to be more than enough for me. "Humans have to be turned over to the police with any evidence I find."

His face was deep in thought for several moments before he gruffly said, "Very well. I do not like it. But as I have said, I want your willing cooperation."

I considered my own statement and decided to ask, "What'll happen to any vampires if I find out they've done something like steal your money?"

His face actually looked surprised. "Only two vampires have access to the money, and they own the bar with me." His arms folded across his chest at my silent challenge. In my experience—and I'd read it in a lot of minds—people were always stealing money from their business partners. Why not vampires?

"If it is Pam, I will handle disciplining her myself."

"And if it's the other one?" I pressed.

His face was clouded as he answered, "If it was Long Shadow, I will see to it."

I shivered at his darkened expression. "Are you the authority for vampires since you're the sheriff?" I questioned.

He shrugged. "I am the authority in this part of northern Louisiana. Each area of the state has a sheriff that sees to the order of his area." He seemed finished with discussing the issue as he turned towards my dresser. "Come, I have the staff gathered at the bar and I doubt you will wish to question them in such attire." He glanced over his shoulder at me and winked. "Though I by no means object to your wardrobe."

For the first time I looked down to notice just how low-cut my nightgown was. It was a V-neck, and with my ample bosom, showed almost as much as it hid. Eric turned back with a chuckle as I angrily covered my chest with my arms.

He was already rifling through my drawers when I asked, "What are you doing?"

"Helping you find something to wear." His look told me it should have been obvious. Guess vampires didn't really get rhetorical questions.

Elbowing him aside, I quickly grabbed some clothes and shut the open drawers. I'd briefly considered trying to back out of our agreement, but I'd never backed out on my word yet and I wasn't about to start now. Sure, I lied to protect myself, but I kept my word. And I'd agreed to work for Eric, even if I hadn't realized it would mean starting so darned soon.

"You will not change out here?" Eric asked with a naughty grin as I headed for the bathroom.

"In your dreams," I laughed as I closed the door to change. I was surprised how easy it was to laugh after my unpleasant dreams. Eric seemed to have a knack for knowing what to say to keep things lighthearted. And I was sure he was older than dirt, but he still had just enough of that naughty boyish charm that made it impossible not to smile.

Still, my dip into his thoughts had been enough to remind me that there was darkness lurking beneath. I was sure this was one vampire you didn't want to cross.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry that one took a little while to get out. It's a bit shorter than I planned, but I wanted to get something out to you before life gets crazy here for about 10 days. Not sure if or when I'll be able to write during that time. We'll have to see. **

**Thanks so much for reading and for all of your reviews! I love hearing from you guys!**

**Let me know what you think!**


	10. Faded and Jaded

**Chapter 10: Faded and Jaded**

As I stood over the bathroom sink, staring into the mirror, one thought kept racing through my mind.

_How the hell did I get here?_

My right hand gingerly reached up to touch the hand marks bruised into the flesh of my neck. But as my arm reached up, my vision was assaulted by the sight of blood trailing down my arm. The flesh in my forearm was torn and ragged. It looked like a dog had sunk his teeth in and shook his head.

Which I guess wasn't far off.

_How the hell did I get here?_

I grabbed some paper towels and got them wet in the sink, and then began swabbing the trickles of blood away.

"I could seal that wound for you," Pam said from behind me with a sharkish smile.

"No, thanks," I stiffly replied.

I kept my eyes averted from her, but I could still see Pam's sulking form behind me in the mirror as she casually leaned against the doorway watching me.

"You ingested some of Long Shadow's blood. It should be enough to heal your wound in time," she commented.

I cringed at being reminded of the fact that some of his blood had gone down my throat. I'd been so shocked and surprised when he'd attacked me, that my mouth was still open in disbelief when Eric had driven the stake through his back. His blood and my own had splattered over my front as I had scooted backwards from under his slowly flaking body. It had all been so unexpected to me, that I hadn't even immediately noticed that I had swallowed some of his blood.

Two months ago, I had been quietly living under another name in a crap apartment and working in some unmemorable restaurant waiting tables. I had never been injured and now I was staring in the mirror at hand-shaped bruises on my neck and a nasty looking vampire bite mark on my arm.

"How the hell did I get here?"

I didn't even realize I'd said it out loud until Pam's puzzled voice answered, "Eric drove you here earlier. How do you think you got here?"

I shook my head as I dabbed at my arm with more paper towels. "It was a rhetorical question," I muttered.

It was amazing to see, but I could tell as I dabbed the blood away, that the wound was indeed healing. The edges of the wound were already turning shinny and pink as they closed. I figured at this rate, by morning it might be completely closed with new pink, shiny skin. Even the bruises on my neck seemed to be fading.

Suddenly, as I looked up again in the mirror, a different vampire was filling the doorway. My heart started racing against my will. The last time I'd seen Eric, he'd been hunched over me on the floor, his fangs run out and his eyes glazed over with lust. What kind, I wasn't sure. I'd been scooting backwards away from him as Pam had swooped in and shuffled me from the office to the bathroom to clean up. Her fangs had run out too, but as she stood and watched me clean up, she seemed to get herself completely under control.

"I brought you some bandaging," Eric quietly said as he studied me.

Not moving, I took a moment to study him as well. There didn't seem to be any sign of fangs, and he seemed completely in control of himself again. His eyes were clear, blue, and unfathomable. But then, Long Shadow had seemed completely benign until a split second before he'd launched himself at me intent on ripping my throat out. I'd barely been fast enough to reflexively throw my arm in front of my face.

Eric sighed. "I will not harm you. You have my word."

I slowly reached out and took what appeared to be strips of a t-shirt or something torn up. Eric stepped forward, his eyes focused on my wounded arm.

My response was to grip the makeshift bandages and step backwards again.

With another sigh, Eric repeated. "I will not harm you."

My eyes cast downwards on my injured arm, I tried to explain. "I've never been to a hospital before. I'd never been injured until I came back here. I just want things to go back to the way they were. I just wish things would stop changing."

"Life is ever changing. It is the only constant in life."

My eyes shot up to his. "Says the vampire who's probably older than dirt and hasn't changed one bit in who knows how long."

The corner of his mouth tugged up as his arms crossed over his chest. "And yet I do not look as I did when I was human more than one thousand years ago. And I can assure you that in one thousand years, _I_ have changed a great deal. I may physically have stopped changing, but I have never stopped evolving. Everything that has happened to me, good and bad, has changed what I have become. You cannot stop change. At some point you must embrace it."

"Yeah, well, this change has led to me nearly dying more times than I'd like to think about. Twice by the fangs of a vampire. Maybe not all change is good," I replied. I could still leave. I could leave and go back to the life I'd been living. It was a somewhat gypsy or nomadic life, but at least I'd been safe.

Eric's eyes seemed to bore into me, as though he could see everything with that one look. "No. Not all change is good. But how you react to it is what matters. Will you stay and fight the ill the world throws at you, or will you cut and run?"

I gingerly wrapped the cloth around my arm, carefully tucking one end in place with one hand to secure it.

"I want to go home," was my quiet response. Eric nodded and silently led me from the now empty bar to his car in the employee parking lot.

As Eric held the passenger door open to his corvette, I looked up into his blue eyes. "I'm no coward," I told him.

"I know." His whispered response came as I slid into the seat.

We rode in silence for a while. I thought he was content to let our ride home be as silent as our ride to Fangtasia earlier in the evening had been, but then his deep voice broke the silence. "We did not have a chance to discuss the details of you working for me."

My eyes closed as my head fell back against the headrest. "Can we just not talk about this or anything else vampire related tonight. I just want to go home, sleep, and forget any of this ever happened. I found your thief for you. Can't you just give me some time to think?"

Even with my eyes closed, I could tell he was looking at me.

"Eyes on the road," I muttered.

I heard him grunt, then, "I have some paperwork that I have had a lawyer draw up. If you have any questions, you can call him to discuss the particulars or ask questions. His number and name are on the first page."

"Fine."

When we pulled down the driveway and into the parking space behind my house, Eric grunted again and commented, "Your driveway needs repair."

I climbed out of the low-slung corvette, and waved my bandage-covered arm at Eric over the roof as he got out as well. "Well, I've kind of had more on my plate lately than just filling in the potholes on my driveway! I've been attacked and nearly killed three times since I moved back to Bon Temps, so I'm sorry if I just haven't had the money or time to take care of everything."

"What happened to the money you collected from the casino?" he carefully pried.

I swiped at the wetness trying to escape from one eye. "I used it to put a new roof on the house and pay some other expenses."

"We have not discussed your compensation, but there are some figures included with the paperwork. I will see to it that you are paid well for tonight's help." He reached inside the corvette and then handed me the paperwork over the roof. "Look the paperwork over. I will come by tomorrow evening to discuss it."

I took the papers with a huff. "Can't I have a little more time to think things over? I'd like some time without a vampire trying to kill me."

"It would be best not to wait too long to finish our business. It will be later in the evening however when I come over. I'll have Bubba come over after dark to look in on you. He seemed very concerned with your wellbeing and I think would enjoy being tasked with watching you again." His answer came with arms crossed over his chest and a no-nonsense look.

"Why do I need Bubba looking after me, and just what's the deal with him?" I pressed, my arms crossing over my own chest to mimic his stance. It was probably a lot less intimidating since I was more or less cradling my injured arm.

"I would feel more at ease with Bubba at the very least watching over you. There are still certain things which do not seem right to me," he replied as he leaned down over the roof of his car and braced his arms on it. He then launched into a quick explanation about Bubba and his quirks. I'd already figured who Bubba was, but hearing about how he'd been turned was fascinating.

I said a quick goodnight and turned to head for the house. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Eric appeared beside me to escort me to my door. I'd been a lot more comfortable with him when we'd had a car between us. It was almost overpowering to have him this close. And when we'd been in his car, at least most of the time, his attention had been on driving. But now, he was staring down at me, his eyes completely focused on me.

My eyes quickly dropped away and I hurried towards the backdoor. When my hand darted out to turn the doorknob, Eric's hand closed over mine, stopping me just short.

"I am sorry you were injured this evening. It was not my intention for any harm to come to you."

I didn't look up, and kept my eyes locked on the door as I nodded. Suddenly, his hand was gone and the sound of his car starting filled the night. I glanced over my shoulder to see him driving back down the driveway.

My house was quiet and still as I went inside, with only Tina to greet me. I felt safe inside the house, but I found myself wondering just how safe I really was. And like I'd told Eric, I'd nearly been killed three times since coming back to Bon Temps, so just how safe was that? Maybe I would be better off moving on.

But my words to Eric kept coming back to me. _I'm no coward_. And I was determined to prove it.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, I slept in. It had been years since I'd allowed myself the luxury. But heck, I figured I was due after nearly dying _again_ last night. I seemed to be doing something wrong with my life. Maybe I was living wrong.

But that silent challenge from Eric still bothered me. He may not have said the actual words, but I'd seen the silent challenge in his eyes. _Was I a coward?_

I'd always told myself I wasn't, but maybe now was the time to prove it.

With that determination in mind, I walked out to the kitchen table where I'd left the paperwork Eric had handed me the night before. I hadn't read a word of it yet, but I decided I would at least read it through once so I could start pondering it and figure out what I was going to do.

An hour later, my eyes tired from reading, I walked outside to do a little work while I thought.

"What the hell?" escaped my lips before I could stop it. I had made it out to the bottom of the back steps and was shocked by the sight of my driveway. New gravel lined the once potted and pitted path. And it looked like awful nice gravel too. Expensive. "What the _hell_?" I repeated.

_Eric, _my mind growled. My gaze narrowed in frustration. People didn't do things for free, and now I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. What was Eric expecting to get in return?

_Well, can't do anything about it right now with the sun still up_, I thought with a sigh. I always seemed to think clearer when I was working, so I went to the toolshed in the backyard and found an old rake. With gritted teeth, I turned my energy and determination on my yard, resolved to rake up the scattered leaves, and maybe my scattered thoughts too.

"Do you need help, Miss Sookie?" Bubba's timid voice asked behind me.

I swung around at the sound of his voice, surprised to see him standing with an almost sheepish look on his face.

I'd still had things to mull over in my mind when the sun went down, so I'd decided to rake leaves closer to the house where I could use the yard light to see by.

I glanced over at the trash bags on the steps and replied, "Sure, Bubba, do you want to help me bag this pile of leaves?"

His face split into a grin like he was a child and I'd asked him to come to my house to play. "Sure thing, Miss Sookie. I'd surely love to help you."

He zipped over to the steps and pulled a bag out for me to hold open, then proceeded to stuff it with leaves at super speed. I think I ended up wearing a fair bit of the leaves in his enthusiasm, but I didn't have the heart to stop him. He looked so happy to be helping with something so simple and menial. Maybe he just liked being treated like he was normal and could help do even simple things.

After we had bagged that pile, Bubba even asked where another rake was, and went to get it so he could help me rake some more. Raking at least he did at a more controlled pace. The leaves had scattered too much when he tried to do it quickly.

After a few minutes, he even seemed comfortable enough to start asking questions. I remembered that Eric had confirmed my suspicions that he wasn't quite right in the head, but he seemed to be having a pretty good day—or night I guess—and was asking about how I'd ended up in Bon Temps.

I had just gotten done briefly explaining my move back to Bon Temps.

"Well, it was real lucky your Uncle decided to give you this place instead of giving it to your brother. It probably would have been lots simplier since he lives close," Bubba commented before going back to humming. He seemed to hum to himself quite a bit, but I noticed it seemed to keep him calmer too. It was probably the familiarity of it.

"Huh, yeah. I guess it was lucky," I commented absent-mindedly.

_Why _did_ he leave me the house in his will? Just because it was what Gran wanted didn't mean he had to. It would have been a hell of a lot easier for his lawyer just to sign it over to Jason. Why did he go to all the trouble of even trying to track me down?_

This time, my mind registered the void approaching across the cemetery, and I turned to watch Bill step into the glow of the yard light.

"Good evening, Sookie," he said in his southern, gentlemanly way.

"Evening, Bill," I nodded.

Without speaking a word, he reappeared from the toolshed with another rake and wordlessly began to help. I considered protesting, but I'd spent the afternoon thinking about some of the things Jeanie always harped on me about.

Lack of trust had been a huge one. But she'd also complained that I couldn't accept help. It was tough for me since I always saw in people's minds just what they expected for their help, but maybe I could try learning to accept a _little_ assistance. Doing a little yard work wasn't the same as giving lavish gifts and expecting something in return. Neighbors helped with yard work. Didn't they?

Bubba continued humming softly to himself, but at Bill's appearance, had stopped asking me questions.

After a few minutes, Bill picked up the slack.

"Do you have any other living relatives, Sookie?" he queried.

My brows drew together in surprise and confusion. "Not really," I answered shortly.

"Oh? You have no other relatives alive? Your Great Uncle was the last of your known relatives?"

I turned to fully face him and leaned on my rake. "What are you getting at Bill?" Something didn't seem right.

"I was simply curious if it was only you and your brother now or if you had any cousins as well," he quickly said, his answer coming out more like a hurried cover.

"The only real family I can say I had while I was in foster care was a lady who took me in until I turned 18. I don't have much of any memories of other family," I carefully answered, trying to gauge his intentions in his expression. There wasn't much to gauge. He kept a pretty blank face. Vamps seemed real good at that.

He nodded. "I suppose growing up in a small town like Bonita wasn't much different than growing up in Bon Temps would have been," he said conversationally.

My heart started thundering. "Who said I'd been in Bonita?"

* * *

**A/N: I know it's a little short, but I wanted to get a little something out while I could. I've been busy at a trade show this week (and had the stomach flu ****) but I was able to find a little dead time to write. **

**Also, if you haven't already, check out the reading group that Fairyblood has started. A group gets together every day to talk about fanfics, the SVM series and just about anything. It's been a blast to jump into when I can. Tons of great discussions going on about everything under the sun and a great place to ask readers and writers both questions about fanfiction. You can find it on Fairyblood's blog: http : / / fairybloodsfantasies . blogspot .com (take out the spaces) and there's also a link in my profile. **

**It really is a ton of fun!**

**This was actually a tough chapter to write, so let me know what you thought. I decided we've all read the Long Shadow staking bit a hundred times and so skipped over it. **


	11. Shatter Me With Hope

**Chapter 11: Shatter Me With Hope**

Bill glanced away from me nervously.

"Who said I'd been in Bonita?" I repeated, getting cross.

"You mentioned it the night I stopped by to visit, the night before we went to Fangtasia," he quickly replied, but I knew it was a cover.

"I never named any specifics. No names. No places," I informed him, my eyes narrowing on him.

Bill's face was still carefully blank, but I could see the small movements as his eyes darted about. I'd already noticed earlier in the evening how easy it was for me to see in the dark, an apparent side effect of ingesting Long Shadow's blood, but seeing the minute movement of Bill's eyes frightened me. That just wasn't normal.

Knowing I couldn't dwell on it right now, I kept pushing my life-challenged neighbor. "Where'd you learn I had been in Bonita? 'Cause you didn't learn it from me."

My shields were all the way down since there weren't any humans in the area I might hear, allowing me to finally relax my mind. If they hadn't been down, I probably wouldn't have noticed the third vampire approaching. But I swung around just in time to see Eric casually waltz into the pool of light my security light cast.

Eric calmly walked a little ways away from where Bill, Bubba, and I were raking leaves, and leaned against the side of my car. "Yes, Bill. Do tell. How did you come to learn so much about Sookie?"

I was definitely going to have to do something about Eric showing up unannounced at my house. It wasn't like he didn't have a phone and know how to use it. But I wasn't going to launch into that conversation now. My mind was piqued, and as the wheels turned, certain things began falling into place.

"I'm the reason you moved back here from New Orleans, aren't I?"

Bill's gaze actually dropped with a hint of guilt. His hands tightly gripped against the rake handle and the wood actually audibly creaked.

But still, he kept silent.

I moved forward and pushed against his chest, forcing him to look me in the eye. "Answer me, Bill! I saved your life … existence … whatever. I could have left you to those drainers and you'd be dead and gone now. But I didn't. Sam and I risked our lives to save your neck. The least you could do is be honest with me." My volume rose as I spoke, my anger finally getting the better of me. I always tried my best to keep my emotions under control, but this was proving to be too much.

Again, his head dipped down to avoid my stare. I felt the void of Eric's mind move closer behind me, but didn't check over my shoulder to see.

"I deserve some honesty, Bill. You said you wanted to repay me for saving your life. Then this is how you can do it. All your talk of wanting to be friends and such. Prove it. Tell me the truth," I challenged him.

Bill glanced up over my shoulder at Eric. I got the feeling he wasn't keen on letting Eric in on his secrecy.

"She deserves to know the truth from your lips, Bill. I've smelled your scent all over the edges of Sookie's property. If you're going to moon over the girl she should know the real reason you were sent after her," Eric added.

My head swung around to search Eric's face. Many things he'd just imparted bothered me. Not the least of which was that he seemed to know why Bill was here. Had he known all along?

As Bill sighed and began speaking, I turned to focus on him again. He still wouldn't look up at me, but at least he was talking now.

"It was bound to come out anyway, Sookie. I had to give you news of your cousin, Hadley, somehow, and I couldn't foresee a way to do so without revealing my mission to you," he explained.

When he seemed to stall, I prompted, "What has any of this got to do with my cousin, and how do you even know about her?"

"She was a favorite of the queen's, and recently turned. Unfortunately, she also recently met her final death. The queen wished to give you the one responsible for Hadley's death in the hopes that you would be more easily appeased and amenable to moving to New Orleans and joining her retinue."

I could almost feel Eric bristling beside me. But unfortunately I was so overwhelmed by what Bill had imparted, that I could only focus on one piece of information.

"I take it you're not talking about the Queen of England, are you?" I asked, and then burst into inappropriate giggles. Somehow, the image of Queen Elizabeth with fangs and biting into someone's neck suddenly seemed like the funniest thing in the world. I could just see her daintily wiping blood from her lips with a lace handkerchief after she'd finished.

Both Eric and Bill looked at me as though I'd really become "Crazy Sookie" but Bill took it upon himself to inform me.

"No. It is not the human queen of England. Vampires still operate within a feudalist system. States with large vampire populations are ruled by a monarch with sheriffs underneath them managing the various fiefdoms or areas of their kingdom."

I was still trying to quiet my giggles. It had been hard enough to accept the image of a vampire sheriff, but at least that somehow seemed sensible and plausible since the human police wouldn't be able to enforce anything with vampires, but the notion that in our democratic age, the vampires had kings and queens—well, it just seemed ridiculous.

"So let me get this straight. Y'all have kings and queens, and we've got a queen that rules Louisiana from New Orleans?" I laughed.

Bill nodded, but Eric grasped my elbow to turn me slightly towards him. "Queen Sophie-Anne is no laughing matter, Sookie. She is the authority in this state. Even I must answer to her. If she desires to have your presence in New Orleans, she will have you brought there."

I pulled away from him. "She can't force me to go to New Orleans if I don't want to," I denied shaking my head.

Eric's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer and glared down at me. "You are an unclaimed human. No vampire will care what you _want_. If the queen desires you, she will take you." Seeing the fear on my face, he pushed on, "Sign the contract I gave you, and it will bind you to my retinue. You may be required to work occasionally for the queen, but she will have to go through me to do so. You will still be able to live here as you wish."

I stepped back and wrapped my arms around myself. I wasn't a fool. I knew Eric was using the threat of their vampire queen to try to make me sign his contract.

And while I knew nothing about this queen of theirs, I at least knew Eric a little bit. He frightened the hell out of me, but I still felt like I could trust him on a certain level. _At least trust him to tell me he was going to kill me before he tears my throat out_, I thought darkly.

Better the devil you know than the one you don't. And I sure didn't want to live in New Orleans. Being around that many humans on a full-time basis would drive me crazy in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

A few more of the puzzle pieces fell into place in my mind. Turning to Bill I asked, "Hadley told your queen that I was different, and what? She sent you here to investigate me? How'd she even know I'd come back to Bon Temps?"

Bill looked uncomfortable again. "It was arranged for your grandmother's home to pass to you after Bartlett Hale's death. A letter was left at your last known address in hopes of luring you back to Bon Temps."

I considered the things that were left unsaid for a moment. "Uncle Bartlett didn't just fall into the creek by his house, did he? Someone killed him and put him there to speed the process up, didn't they?" Bill fidgeted even more. "Did you do the deed yourself? Don't lie to me."

"Yes." The one word came out low and regretful.

I wasn't. "Good," I hissed.

Both vampires swung to look at me with surprise at the venom in my voice, but I wasn't about to elaborate on it. "So everything about my coming back here was orchestrated by your queen on the off chance that whatever my cousin had said about me was true, and you were sent here to what? Convince me how wonderful it would be to go live under some vampire queen's thumb?"

"I was sent to garner your loyalties for Queen Sophie-Anne through any means necessary. And yes, eventually bring you to New Orleans when you were ready." I must have looked incredulous about the whole notion because Bill went on. "You have no idea how valuable a telepath would be to a monarch. Quite especially so since the Great Revelation. We cannot always resort to glamoring humans now. Telepaths are rare and very valuable. I've never seen one before."

"I won't go to New Orleans," I insisted. I'd go back to living like a nomad first. New Orleans was too big of a metropolitan city for me to live in. I'd go crazy. I'd never have a moment's peace.

Bill actually almost looked regretful. "You don't have a choice, Sookie. I have to bring you to New Orleans."

Bill took a step towards me, but Eric was suddenly between us thrusting paperwork he'd pulled from out of nowhere into my hands.

"Sign the contract, Sookie, and I can keep you here."

I could hear Bill protesting from behind Eric's back. "She cannot sign a contract with you, Eric. I have made the queen's desires known. You cannot usurp her wishes."

Never taking his eyes from mine, Eric replied, "I entered into negotiations before my contact in the queen's court informed me of your mission here, Bill. By rights, she can choose to finalize an agreement with me. I am still loyal to Sophie-Anne, I am not usurping her wishes—merely redirecting them. If she wishes it otherwise, she should have informed me and not gone behind my back in my own area."

His stare was so intense I wondered if he was trying to glamor me, but there was no familiar pressing on my mind. He was making it clear though—I didn't have much choice here. Sign those papers. Or run.

His eyes narrowed again in suspicion. "If you run now, you will have to continue running for the rest of your life, Sookie. You are known to the vampire world now. You cannot escape. I for one will find you and drag you back here," he threatened, his fangs running out as he leaned down towards me.

My head jerked up from the paperwork to glare into his eyes. I swear, sometimes _he_ seemed telepathic. Did I really give that much away on my face? Or maybe there was some part of him that knew me the same way some small part of me said he wouldn't hurt me if he could help it.

I grabbed the pen he held out and quickly singed the last page before Bill could protest again. "Better the devil you know," I mumbled. "You'd probably chase me across kingdom-come."

My eyes glanced up into Eric's intense stare again. "If you ran, I'd chase you until I found you," he confirmed.

"Why?" I found myself asking.

Eric's brow gathered together. "I am not sure. I have not had you yet, for one," he added with a smirk.

"The queen will not be pleased," Bill muttered stepping around Eric. He still gripped the rake with one hand, and the other ran through his dark hair.

Eric waved his had dismissively. His grin was one of self-satisfaction. Like he'd just won a well-played game of chess. "Sookie is part of my retinue now and thereby loyal to the queen as well. Sophie-Anne will be accepting of this."

"There is still the matter of the vampire responsible for Hadley's death," Bill reminded.

To be honest with myself, I couldn't even bring a clear picture to mind of my cousin Hadley. Jason would be upset by her death, or redeath, or final death—whatever they called it—but I had a hard time caring about someone who was a stranger to me. She'd been closer to Jason's age, and unfortunately, obviously remembered me, or remembered I'd been different, but I didn't remember her. She was just a name to me.

"I didn't know Hadley, so I don't much care what's done with her killer. Frankly, I'm not too happy she talked about family business with this queen of yours, so I'm even less inclined to bring myself to care," I admitted.

My feet started carrying me away from Bill, but he called out to me, stopping me short.

He seemed to fumble with his wording, but couldn't get anything out.

"What, Bill?" I asked impatiently.

"I have wanted to tell you what my purpose in Bon Temps was, but I could not by order of the queen. I wanted to tell you," he repeated.

"And just how far would you have continued to carry this whole charade if you hadn't been forced to tell me the truth?"

His dropped gaze was my only answer.

"Actions speak a whole lot louder than intentions or the things you _wanted_ to do," I quietly told him.

Again I started to turn away, and again he stopped me.

"I would still like to be your friend, Sookie. I would still like to know you," he quietly pleaded. "You did save my life. You are unlike any human I have ever known. I hope you can one day forgive me."

I shrugged noncommittally. "It's gonna take a lot to gain any trust back, Bill. I don't like being lied to or used. And you've done both. Friendship might be a far piece off yet."

He nodded in acceptance, and leaned his rake against a nearby tree.

As Bill slowly began walking towards his own place, Eric called out, "Bubba, return with Bill. I will speak with you later."

My eyes turned to see Bubba walking towards me. I was ashamed of myself for completely forgetting Bubba's presence until now. He'd continued raking and actually made a nice neat pile of leaves, seemingly oblivious to what we had been discussing.

Bill had turned to wait for Bubba, and both he and Eric were visibly shocked when Bubba stopped in front of me and softly kissed my cheek. Without thought, I automatically returned his kiss to his cool cheek.

"Thank you for letting me rake leaves with you, Miss Sookie. I'm real glad you're healed up now." His eyes darted to the ground as he sheepishly continued, "Do ya' think I could come see ya again sometime? I could help you out with yard work or lots of other things."

I carefully took the rake out of his hands and grasped his cool fingers with my free hand. "You're welcome to stop by anytime you'd like, Bubba." I wasn't sure what made me offer it, since the incredulous stares of the other two vampires said they were both surprised, but hey, I figured of the three vampires here, Bubba was the only one who hadn't either lied to me, or tried to manipulate me in some way.

Bubba's face lit up in that familiar grin, and he kissed my cheek again before zipping off after Bill. They both quickly disappeared off my mental radar towards Bill's property.

Now that left me alone with the master manipulator.

"Just how well is a signed piece of paper going to keep some vampire queen from deciding that she still wants to force me to relocate to New Orleans?" I asked, turning to face Eric. He was back to leaning against the side of my car.

"A normal contract? Not at all. One written by a demon lawyer? That she will be subject to abide by. It is binding under vampire law and recognized by most of the supernatural world," he answered with a shrug.

"A demon lawyer?" The old image of the devil with horns, tail, and a pitchfork, dressed in an expensive suit and carrying a briefcase popped into my head. It oddly seemed fitting. "Vampires, shifters, and demons, oh my," I muttered.

After tonight, I didn't even want to ask what else there was out there. But I was guessing a whole lot more. The world was getting bigger and bigger. And I was feeling smaller and smaller.

"So she can't make me move to New Orleans?" I pressed. I needed to reassure myself of that, just to set my mind at ease.

"Did you wish to move there?"

"No! I don't think I could stand it," I exclaimed in surprise.

"Why?"

"Too many people. Too many thoughts. I'd never have a moment's peace. I'd go crazy." As I spoke, I let my own rake and Bubba's fall to the ground and made my way to the back porch. I took a seat on the top step and was surprised when Eric took a seat a few steps down from me. Even sitting several steps down, his head was nearly even with my own.

"What exactly does me signing this contract with you mean?" I decided to ask. I'd read over the copy he'd left with me, but I wanted to hear him tell me himself what he expected. The contract itself had actually been a lot shorter and simpler than I'd expected, and seemed to give me a lot of freedoms. But with an old as hell vampire, I was sure he'd find loop-holes.

"You will work for me when I call on you," he stated as though it should have been obvious. I nodded but gestured with my hand that I wanted him to elaborate. He sighed, but did continue. "I can understand that you seem independent and do not wish to leave your home. The contract states that you are hired on a contractual basis and essentially on retainer. You may continue working in the shifter's bar as you wish, but will be required to work for me when I need you to."

"You can't just expect me to drop what I'm doing at a moment's notice and rush over to read employees for you or something," I argued.

"I admit there are still details we need to discuss, but they can be added to the contract as addendums."

For a vampire who had jumped at the opportunity to back me into a corner and force me to sign a contract or risk being whisked away to New Orleans, he seemed to be awfully willing to work with me.

I folded my arms over my knees and rested my chin on my arms as I spoke. "I figured you'd think you owned me and could do whatever you wanted with me once I signed those papers," I quietly admitted.

Eric had been gazing out at my yard until now, but he turned slightly to look at me with some dark unfathomable look. "I have no desire to own you, Sookie."

I continued looking at him with my head resting sideways on my arms. "What do you want with me?"

If it was possible, his face became even more closed-off than it had been before. "I do not know," he admitted in a whisper. "I do not like not knowing."

The swirl of the air around me was the only indicator I had of his departure. That and the empty space where he'd been sitting.

I made my way back into my darkened house with heavy steps. I'd signed a binding contract with a vampire I barely knew and I couldn't help but feel that my life would never be the same again.

My heart told me there would be no going back. For the rest of my life, I was part of the supernatural world, and whatever that entailed. And I knew if I tried to run, a tall blond vampire would be the first to chase me.

* * *

**A/N: I've also gotten around to making banners for some of my old stories now. Check them out on my profile page.**


	12. False Hope

**Chapter 12: False Hope**

More than a week passed without a single word or visit in the fanged variety. Somehow in my mind, I'd assumed once I'd signed those papers for Eric, I'd be relegated to his beck and call. But so far, no beck. No call.

The wording of the contract said I would be hired on an as needed basis, and that the specifics of each job would be agreed on verbally before the job began. But still, I'd assumed working for vampires would mean my freedom was gone. Or at the very least limited. But a week later, and nothing in my life had really changed. I was still going into Merlotte's to work every shift I could and trying to put money away.

I guess one thing had changed though. I'd gotten a check in the mail from Eric as payment for catching his thief. The new gravel on the driveway had been more than enough in my mind. But the added cushion of that check did help to set my mind at ease. At least I wouldn't have to worry about going to another casino to make ends meet.

Not yet anyway.

Sam hadn't been pleased when I'd explained my new status within the vampire world, but after reading the contract himself and seeing who wrote it, he did agree that it seemed to give me pretty good leeway.

And apparently, the demon who drew up the contract was well-known and respected as the best demon lawyer. I guess demons seemed to make pretty outstanding lawyers. But heck, who'd want to argue a case against a demon anyway? I wasn't sure what demons were like, but I doubted they were all kittens and rainbows.

After a week of working every shift I could, Sam even seemed to relax about the whole working for vampires thing. I think he'd been just as worried as I had been about what my life was going to be like.

Now, don't get me wrong, I was in no way assuming a week of peace and quiet meant any kind of a trend. I'd had patches of quiet before in my life, and something always came along to chip up those patches. 'Course, the stuff that had happened in the past to cause me to pull stake and move on to my next destination had been nothing like the things I'd been through since moving back to Bon Temps. And pulling stake and moving on no longer seemed to be an option. Or at least it was only a last resort.

Maybe I should have examined a bit closer why I seemed to be finding worse kinds of trouble than I'd ever found before. But since I knew I probably wasn't going to like the answer, I decided it was best not to ask the question. "Never ask a question if you're not going to like the answer," Jeanie had always said.

It wasn't quite the original, "Don't ask a question that you don't already know the answer to," but I figured Jeanie's version was probably a whole lot more applicable to most people.

Ignorance was bliss, but there was a reason — other than the obvious — why most people preferred it. It wasn't that they were stupid; they were simply smart enough to know they'd rather not know a bad truth about something they couldn't change anyway.

I knew my week of quiet would never last. It never did. And throwing vampires and all sorts of other supernatural beings into the mix only seemed to exacerbate things.

So it really came as no surprise when my uneventful week was shattered. Even if who my visitor was did surprise me.

* * *

The knock came at my front door and I was instantly wary. Experience had already taught me to be on alert for people who came to my front door. Everyone I knew just pulled around behind the house and came in the back door.

I'd been in the upstairs going through old boxes looking to see if there was anything worth keeping when the rapping sounded downstairs. My feet quickly carried me back downstairs, but they paused in the hallway by the closet for the water heater in the back of the house. After the Rene incident, Jason had brought over one of his old shotguns for me, and I'd been keeping it there.

My hand hovered on the doorknob, but I reached out with my mind to gauge just who my visitor was. I was met with three voids in my front yard. Knowing a shotgun wasn't likely to do much against the already dead (Sam had filled me in a bit on what a vampire's weakness were and what they weren't) I let my hand fall away from the doorknob and slowly made my way towards the backdoor.

Only three vampires had invitations to enter my house, and I hadn't seen hide nor hair from a one of them in a week's time. But the sinking feeling in my gut told me that the three vampires I knew weren't standing outside at the moment. I'd considered rescinding Bill's invitation from my home after his confession from last week, but I didn't think it was truly necessary. I hadn't even seen Bill at Merlotte's since that night, let alone around my home, but I also didn't really see him as a threat.

If I trusted Eric's explanation of things — and for some reason, I did — because I worked for Eric, I was under his protection. At least to a point. We'd see just what that point was.

And though Bill had angered me by lying to me, I couldn't really blame him. He'd just been following orders. It wasn't like he knew who I was when he'd been told to come find me and seduce me if need be. I was just some faceless human. But it did bother me to wonder just how far he would have carried his scheme to acquire me for his queen.

Oddly, I still considered Bill a friend. Maybe it was because I'd never really had friends before. And the chance of having friends that I didn't have to hear their every thought? Well, that meant more to me than I could explain. I'd just have to decide how much I was willing to risk and sacrifice to have that semblance of normalcy.

Drawing in a deep breath, I pulled the front door open, careful to stay back from the threshold. I almost laughed at the sight that greeted me. But that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach held me immobile and inaudible.

"Are you Miss Stackhouse?" a young girl asked.

No. This was no girl. She was definitely a vampire. The glow of her skin and the void of her thoughts confirmed that much. But her skin glowed approximately as brightly as Eric's did. Maybe even slightly more. And I was starting to get the impression that it had a little something to do with the vampire's age. Which meant despite appearances, this was no girl. She may have looked like a frail teenager, but she was probably a very powerful vampire.

"Yes. I'm Sookie Stackhouse," I replied, finally finding my voice. No sense lying. She obviously was here looking for me.

Her eyes traveled up and down me in an assessing manner. I once again felt like I was a horse being examined for purchase. Maybe I should do a little spin so she could see the whole package?

"I am Sophie-Anne Leclerq. Won't you invite me in?" she politely asked, but didn't bother to beat around the bush with pleasantries.

I looked over her shoulder to see who else was around, but couldn't spot anyone. A limo was parked in the front yard, and I could tell by the void that one vampire was in the driver's seat.

"Who else is with you?" I asked her directly. If she was going to be direct, I figured I would be as well.

With an elegant gesture of her small hand, she waved towards the limo. "Only my driver," she said with a slight nod to me. But her eyes took me in again, this time in a more appreciative manner.

She had to be the same Sophie-Anne that both Eric and Bill had talked about, so she obviously already knew about me thanks to my cousin. And she seemed to appreciate my directness, so I decided to stick with it. "Who's that you've got just in the tree line," I challenged with a gesture.

Now Sophie-Anne gave a half-smile. "You really are something," she murmured appreciatively.

Suddenly, another teenage looking vampire was standing beside her on the porch. I could tell he was old too, but not as old as Sophie-Anne.

"This is my child, Andre," she explained, gesturing to the other vampire. He nodded to me, but didn't say a word.

The silence stretched on, and finally I asked, "Why are you here?"

"I had hoped to see you and speak with you myself. See just what all the fuss was about." She looked pointedly in the house and added, "Won't you invite us in?"

I held my breath and considered my options. I could tell her to stuff it and leave her on my front porch, or I could screw up my courage and invite her in. Well — I'd never been accused of being a coward. But I wasn't a fool either. Sophie-Anne might be smaller than me, but she could kill me in a hundred different ways before I could even blink. So I really didn't see her needing to have her child/bodyguard with her.

"Tell you what; you can come in by yourself, Miss Leclerq. We can sit down and discuss whatever you want. Just us girls." Maybe it was bold, but I figured it was my house and my right to only accept one unannounced visitor at a time in. I didn't think she'd hurt me. She was queen after all, so I worked for her indirectly through Eric.

But Andre? I just plain didn't like the way he was looking at me. Sophie-Anne looked at me with an appreciative assessing manner. But there was something cold and calculating about Andre's stare. And I almost swore I could see a glint of jealousy there.

Sophie-Anne gave a full smile this time. "'Just us girls?'" she repeated. "I very much like that. Very well. It shall be just us girls for our discussion."

It seemed to me that I should make some sort of gesture when I invited a queen into my house, but damned if I was gonna curtsey. I wasn't even sure if I knew how to. Instead, I gave a small head bob to be polite and asked, "Won't you please come in, Miss Leclerq?"

She seemed to float more than walk over the threshold, and I carefully closed the door on Andre's scowling face. He was obviously upset about being separated from Sophie-Anne, but I wasn't going to put any money on me in a fight between her and I. So I wasn't so sure what he was worried about. Maybe he thought all telepaths were rogue vampire drainers too.

Sophie-Anne slowly walked around the living room, taking in the little knickknacks that decorated it. They were almost all old family pieces that had been in the house. I had moved around so much that I hadn't accumulated much of anything in the way of decorations. All I really had to my own name were my clothes.

Seemingly satisfied with her examination of my abode, she surprised me by slipping her shoes off and sitting on my sofa with her legs drawn in close to her side on the cushions. I paused in the entryway to take her appearance in.

I knew she was old, and girls were considered women at much younger ages, but I still figured she was somewhere in her teens to late teens when she'd been turned. Maybe she'd been a woman then, but throw some hip-hugger jeans and a t-shirt on her, and she could have passed for a high school student. Instead, she was dressed in an elegant blue pantsuit with a purple blouse. It somehow seemed fitting on her too, not like a child playing dress-up. She carried herself with a regal poise that left little doubt that she was a powerful woman.

I let my body fold into the overstuffed chair across the coffee table from her and asked, "So what did you want to talk about, Miss Leclerq?"

She gave a small smile and responded, "Please, let us be friends. Call me Sophie-Anne." I nodded and she continued. "I have come to meet you and to gauge the usefulness of one of my best sheriff's new assets."

I didn't like being called an asset, but I bit my tongue and remained silent. At least on that subject. Still, I couldn't help but ask, "And just how do you intend to gauge my usefulness?"

The smile and calculating gleam in her eye this time almost gave a hint to the woman I was sure was beneath the carefully constructed mask she was presenting. "I am very adept at gauging the worth of individuals. Human or otherwise. Sheriff Northman has reported that you were quite useful in catching a thief for him. And not only were you able to catch the thief, and thereby put an end to money being stolen, you were able to do so with no harm being done to human employees. That too saves money, as he was not required to replace them. This pleases me. The more profitable my sheriffs are, all the more they are required to pay me in tithes."

Well, I couldn't argue with her logic. Vampires it seemed had more in common with humans than their past. They were just as greedy. Or maybe it was just that need to be the best at everything. I guess it would be hard to live that long if you were okay with mediocrity.

"I did wish to see what all the fuss was about however," she continued.

"What fuss?" I questioned, feeling my eyebrows skyrocket. Fuss was definitely something I hadn't experienced from any humans. They usually didn't want anything to do with me. That's if they noticed me at all.

"I can only assume you are the reason Bill Compton has requested to remain in Bon Temps, even after you have been adequately secured for my retinue."

Not sure how to respond, I opted to keep silent.

"And my best sheriff has acquired you for himself right from under me. A lot of trouble to go to for a human. Even a telepathic one. Though, you seem to have proven somewhat useful. We shall have to see to what extent you prove your worth." She almost seemed to smile at admitting that Eric had "acquired" me under her nose.

"You're not angry that I'm working for Eric and not moving to New Orleans?" I couldn't help but ask.

She flicked her fingers like it was inconsequential. "It matters not. You work for Eric and he is loyal to me. If he wishes to take the responsibility of your care and protection, so be it. I had mostly wished to bring you to New Orleans in the hopes of cleaving my Hadley's melancholy and ease her homesickness. But that plan does not matter anymore." She stopped speaking and for the first time, I saw real emotion flicker across her face. Pain.

"You really loved Hadley, huh?"

"I love all my children," she responded, her face once again carefully composed. But for just a moment it softened as she looked me in the eye and said, "But yes, Hadley was special to me."

"I'm real sorry for you." It seemed inadequate and somehow backwards to console her about the death of my cousin. But she'd obviously meant something to Sophie-Anne, and at best, she was a stranger to me. At least she'd been loved before she'd died.

For the next half-hour, I listened and talked with Sophie-Anne about Hadley. Mostly I listened to her talk about meeting my cousin and turning her. She even explained what they knew about how she died and who had killed her.

"What happened to this Waldo?" I asked. I still wasn't interested in dealing with the vampire who'd killed her, but I was curious to know what had happened when I'd refused her gift of him.

That pained look flashed in her eyes before a hard look replaced it in her eyes. "He too has met his final death." Her words were quiet and deadly. And I had no doubt that she had been the one to kill him, even if he'd been her child too.

Rising to her feet, Sophie-Anne slid her shoes back on and made her way to the door. "I have granted Bill's request to remain in Bon Temps," she informed me as she turned to face me by the door.

I followed her and crossed my arms over my chest at her words. "What does it matter to me?" My words came out with an edge of bitterness. Maybe I understood and even forgave Bill for his actions, but I guess I hadn't quite gotten over it.

She tilted her head as she looked at me. "You are offended?" she asked. She seemed genuinely puzzled.

"You sent him to spy on me and seduce me if need be to 'acquire' me for you. He lied to me after I risked my life to save his. Why should I care what he does?" I responded, fighting to keep the anger out of my voice.

Her face was still clearly puzzled. "My actions displease you?"

The sincere confusion on her part deflated my anger. "I guess I'm not so much mad at you as I am mad at him. You didn't know me and had never met me, so why should I matter at all to you. But Bill professed to wanting friendship or more. He shouldn't have lied to me."

Sophie-Anne remained motionless for several moments before she spoke. "I do not understand your anger, but you were dear to my Hadley, and she was dear to me."

With that, she opened the door and made her way back to her limo. Andre held the door open for her, and then slid in after her. As the limo made its way down the drive, I realized I'd never even seen the third vampire.

I was just making my way through the house to climb into bed to sleep and contemplate my strange visit when a knock sounded at my back door. The void confirmed it was another vampire.

The vampire standing on the other side really was no surprise, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk to him yet, and especially not after my weird visit with the queen. I couldn't even really decide what the purpose of her visit had been.

"I wanted to check on you after your visit with Queen Sophie-Anne," Bill quietly told me when I didn't offer him any response to his appearance.

"Well, as you can see, I'm just fine," I replied, my voice coming out short and clipped.

Picking up on my mood, Bill responded, "You must realize I could not tell you what my task was, Sookie."

"Not even after I'd saved your life?"

His head hung down. "I wished to tell you the truth, Sookie. But I found myself drawn to you. I knew if I told you the truth, that I would only dash all hopes of ever becoming closer to you."

"And were you trying to get closer to me for your own reasons, or for your queen?" I challenged.

"Both," he sighed.

"And how was I supposed to honestly know what was real and what was because you were ordered to?"

His head came back up as he gazed at me. "I have no orders now, and I am still here."

A lot of my anger had already deflated with Sophie-Anne's visit. But I still wasn't ready to sweep it all under the rug. I wasn't even sure if that was possible. "Maybe we can be friends, Bill. But I don't ever think it'll be more than that. I just don't think I could ever trust you again."

"If I can have nothing else, I would like your friendship," he replied earnestly. I could see the hope in his eyes, but I just didn't have the heart to completely dash his hope. I'd enjoyed conversations I'd had with Bill, but I just didn't see us having much in common. Besides a hometown.

I started to close the door again. "You're gonna have to earn my friendship," I told him as I shut the door.

* * *

Over the next several weeks, Bill did work hard to regain my trust and friendship. He came in to Merlotte's several times a week to sit and visit when I was on breaks and even came by the house to help with little things. Bubba tagged along with him several times, and I was glad to grow my friendship with him. At least with Bubba, I didn't have to worry about ulterior motives.

What really surprised me were Bill's ideas about how to improve my telepathy. He'd asked a lot of questions about how it worked, and when we were sitting in Merlotte's I'd experiment with my shields and how to partially lower them to hear just one person and even better ways to block everyone out. I'd never had anyone try to help me with my telepathy, and after practicing with Bill, I was able to get through a busy shift at Merlotte's without a headache. It still wasn't the same as being in a large crowd, but I was happy with any improvement.

In those weeks, I didn't see Eric once. He called once to request my presence to screen several of his employees and even his day man who ran errands for him, but he sent Pam to pick me up and oversee my work. I wasn't sure where he was, but I wasn't about to ask Pam about his absence.

She was droll, and mostly silent, but a few times I saw her dry humor shine through. But she definitely didn't have the same humor Eric did.

Life fell into an easy rhythm. More than a month had passed since the queen's visit, and nothing out of the ordinary followed in her wake. At least, nothing followed in her wake until five weeks had passed.

I should have chastised myself being lulled by the apparent peace. Peace never lasts in my life.

My mind was busily fantasizing about a warm bubble bath with my name on it that would soak away the long hours of waitressing as I lugged the bags of garbage out to the dumpster behind Merlotte's.

My shields were still easily in place, and I never even heard the large man coming as he came up behind me and shoved me forward into the side of Merlotte's.

His hand clamped over my mouth to silence me. "You keep your mouth shut, bitch, and do as you're told, and you'll live through this just fine," his graveled voice hissed as he whispered his tobacco laden words into the side of my face.

_Why the hell do I ever let my guard down?_ I wondered to myself.

You'd think I'd know better by now. But my mind was consumed with one thing. Who was attacking me now, and what did he want?

* * *

**A/N: Hmm… who could that be? Poor Sookie. One thing after another. She just can't catch a break. **

**Any who, I finally got this chapter out. As you can tell, some things are going to start slightly deviating from canon a bit more here. I'm still going to use it when I can, but I'm also going to leave out some story lines. It just doesn't make sense to follow everything. **

**And no, before someone asks, I'm not setting this up for Bill to be a romantic interest. Sookie only sees him as a friend. **

**And hmmm…. Where's Eric? Guess you'll have to tune in for the next chapter to find out when he pops back in. **

**Also, for anyone interested in chatting with me or other readers about this story, I will be participating in the Fangreaders chat room about this story on Saturday the 26****th****. Check out their blog at http : / / fangreaders . blogspot . com (take the spaces out - there's a link in my profile too) to get an invite to the chat room if you'd like to participate and ask me any questions you may have. Chats begin at 9 PM GMT (4 PM EST). **

**As always, let me know what you think, and I hope to see some of you in the chat room on Saturday!**


	13. Jaded Traveller

**Chapter 13: Jaded Travellers**

My body instinctually tried to recoil from the man who held me. But his grip was firm, and from the way he wrenched my arms behind me to grasp them in one hand, told me he had some experience with subduing people. His other arm was still wrapped around my body, clapped over my mouth to keep me from screaming. He was much taller than me, and much stronger, easily lifting me from my feet and beginning to carry me from the bar.

I kept kicking my feet, hoping to at least slow him down, and maybe throw his balance off enough to make him drop me. But this guy was truly a brute. There was no way I was going to knock him off-balance, and we both knew it.

But there was one thing I could still do that he didn't know about.

I dropped all efforts of holding my shields in place and let myself slid into his thoughts. With his bare hand clamped over my mouth, I didn't have to worry about making a stronger connection.

His thoughts washed over me. And I instantly felt like I needed a shower. And maybe even to scrub with bleach.

I didn't hear his thoughts so much in words as I was immersed in his feelings. But I could also see the images playing in his head about what he wanted to do with me.

My body instantly went still. Fighting just excited him more. He liked his women to fight. The harder the better. Just so that he could hit them to subdue them.

The images in his mind were hazy and tinged with red, but through the haze, a few disjointed thoughts slithered through his mind.

_... told to get the blond-haired waitress ... so hot, smells so good ... won't care if I have a taste of her before I deliver her ... only hit her a little ..._

The disjointed thoughts and images suddenly ceased as I crumpled to the gravel, the man's hold on me suddenly falling away.

I scrambled away several feet on my hands and knees before I turned around and looked up.

My once again savior stood holding the limp body of my would-be kidnapper by his neck and shaking him angrily. The man's body flopped like a depressing rag-doll as Bubba shook him. But Bubba finally looked over at me and dropped the body, instantly appearing in a crouch before me.

Without a second thought, I launched myself at Bubba, wrapping my arms around his neck and clinging to him as the dam broke.

At first, Bubba awkwardly patted my back, but then he relaxed and hugged me back, making soothing noises in my ear.

"You okay, Miss Sookie? I kilt him for ya'," he whispered in my ear at the same time as the back door of Merlotte's swung open.

Sam appeared in the doorway, one hand clutching the bat he kept beneath the bar. Guess he had heard something of the commotion.

Bubba let go of me to stand between Sam and me. Peering around Bubba's legs, I saw Sam pause at the sight of my dead attacker, and then come to a complete standstill when he saw Bubba. I brushed loose gravel from my hands, and Bubba reached out to pull me to my feet.

To defuse any possible mistakes in how to address Bubba, I slowly and deliberately told my boss, "Sam, this is my friend, Bubba. Bubba, this is my boss, Sam."

The shocked expression slowly slid from Sam's face as he nodded and came forward. "You okay, Sookie? What happened?" he asked, gesturing to the body.

I started walking forward to look at the body, surprised when Bubba walked forward with me, not letting go of my hand.

"He grabbed me from behind when I was throwing the garbage in the dumpster. He was sent to kidnap me, but I don't know why. I've never seen him before," I explained as I looked the dead body over.

He was tall, a little over six feet by my guess, but built like a brick wall. His leather biker pants and tight Harley Davidson t-shirt were meant to effectively display his thick corded muscles. His black leather vest looked plain from the front, but when Sam rolled him over, the back of the vest revealed a howling wolf silhouetted against a full-moon. It seemed a bit cold for just a t-shirt and vest, but something was telling me this guy was one of the two-natured, and Sam said they didn't feel the cold like normal humans.

Thick dark brown curly hair was pulled back in a low pony tail. His face was covered by a thick beard, a slight shade lighter in color than his hair. But nothing in his face looked familiar. I'd seen lots of bikers over the years in my travels, but I was certain I'd never seen this one.

"Why would a Were be sent to kidnap you?" Sam asked in a low voice.

I think he was mostly talking to himself, but I couldn't help interjecting, "You mean Were, like Werewolf?" In our discussions, Sam had told me that werewolves often referred to themselves as simply Weres. When he nodded distractedly, I murmured to myself, "Makes sense, his thoughts had that strange haze like yours."

Sam looked at Bubba again, this time in an assessing manner.

Wanting to move things along, I asked, "What do we do now? We can't call the police and tell them what happened." I nodded my head towards Bubba as I spoke, indicating just why we couldn't call any humans in.

Bubba was still holding my hand, but his mind seemed to have drifted away again as he looked off into the distance with a faint smile on his face.

"What's he doing here?" Sam asked, nodding towards Bubba.

Good question. Turning towards Bubba, and tugging on his hand to get his attention, I asked, "Bubba. What were you doing here tonight?"

His face was blank for a moment, then it cleared as he answered, "I came to see you, Miss Sookie. I was gonna stay with Bill but he wasn't home, so I thought I'd come see if you wanted to watch a movie again." The boyish smile on his face, brought a smile to my own, even during these circumstances. Bubba had stopped by my house several times now, and twice we had simply relaxed in the living room and watched old movies that I had on VHS.

"You weren't home neither," Bubba continued, "So I figured you was workin' and I thought I'd wait out here for you and make sure you got home okay. Did I do good, Miss Sookie?"

I smiled and squeezed his hand. "You did real good, Bubba." I assured him. I was just glad he'd waited out in the parking lot for me, and hadn't tried to come into Merlotte's like he had last week. We'd just been lucky that Bill had been there that night and had managed to grab Bubba before anyone saw him. I guess Bill had actually gotten through to Bubba that he had to stay hidden in the parking lot if he came here.

Sam gestured to the dead body, "I guess we should call Eric then, since Bubba's a vampire in his area." He looked over his shoulder at the bar, before turning to me again. "The last couple of waitress'll be leaving soon. Do you think you can get him to move the body while I call Eric?"

I nodded in understanding. Most of the customers had already left, but Arlene and Holly would be finishing up inside soon (and probably wondering where we were) and if they came out to the employee parking lot to leave right now, they'd for sure call the police at the sight of a dead body.

Letting go of Bubba's hand, I crouched over the dead body. Carefully feeling around, I finally found his wallet. The license was from Mississippi, but I didn't recognize the man's name any more than I could recall his face. _Why would some guy I've never seen before try to kidnap me? He's got to be working for someone else, but who? Someone in Mississippi? Why?_

I'd lived in the magnolia state in the past, but if I remembered, it had only been for a few months before I'd moved to Georgia for a while.

Standing up, I spotted a beat-up car at the far edge of the employee parking lot with Mississippi plates. Not the bike I'd been expecting, but I guess if you were kidnapping someone, a car would be easier. And I doubted there was anyone else here with Mississippi plates on their car.

"That's got to be his car, Bubba," I explained, gesturing to the old brown sedan. "Can you carry him over there and put him in the back?"

Bubba nodded and scooped the body up, zooming over to place him in the car.

It was none too soon as Arlene and Holly came out the back door with Sam following. I could tell Sam was trying to engage them in a conversation and slow them down, but it was difficult to stop a tired waitress on the path of heading home after a long shift.

I glanced over my shoulder and was glad to see that Bubba had disappeared for the time being. Even if he momentarily seemed to zone out at times, Bubba seemed to be having a good night and functioning pretty well, all things considered.

I waved good-bye to the other waitresses across the parking lot and slowly fiddled around my car like I was going to get in and leave too. Good thing they weren't parked too close to me. I still had my apron on and didn't have my keys or purse. But they both seemed too tired to notice.

After they'd pulled out, I started to make my way back into Merlotte's, but Sam met me part way with my purse in his hands.

"Go on home, Sookie. Eric'll be here soon to check the body over and he said you should take Bubba with you for protection until he can arrange something else," Sam advised. I started to argue, but he cut me off. "There's nothing else you can do Sook, go home and get some sleep. Just stay safe. I'll run over after Eric stops by and check on you."

I knew he was right, there was nothing I could get out of a dead body. I almost wished now that Bubba wasn't so quick just to snap an attacker's neck. But then that Were's thoughts washed over me again, and the things he'd planned to do to me, and I couldn't bring myself to really be mad at Bubba. Maybe it was best not to have to plunge myself into the thoughts of a man like that again. I still felt like I needed to take a shower just from what I had heard in his thoughts before.

Exchanging my apron for my purse in Sam's hands, I thanked him and turned back towards my car. I knew I'd see Sam later, or Dean I guess, as I'd come to think of him when he was in his collie form. I just couldn't bring myself to think of him as Sam when he was curled up on the floor in my living room licking himself. It was just easier to think of them as two separate entities.

On full-moon nights, he ran over and would spend the night in the woods around my place, and when he got tired I'd let him in the house to sleep in my living room. I kept my bedroom closed though. I did _not_ want another repeat of the time I found him naked curled up on my bed.

I opened my car door and called out to Bubba. He appeared instantly beside me. I gestured to the passenger side. "Why don't you come home with me, Bubba? We'll watch a movie or two before I head to bed," I explained.

My smile was automatic at the way his face lit up. "I'd surely like that, Miss Sookie."

* * *

An hour later, I was curled up on the sofa with Bubba sitting in the recliner chair, completely absorbed in watching my old copy of _Casa Blanca_. I'd already learned that he didn't seem to like or always understand some of the newer movies or TV shows, but he loved some of the old classics that I had.

"Bubba, where are you spending the day?" I asked him.

He shrugged but didn't look away from the TV. After repeating his name, he finally tore his gaze away and answered, "I was suppose' to stay with Bill, but he's not home."

That was the second time he'd said that. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Bill myself in a week or so.

"Do you think Bill's been gone for a while?" I wondered.

Bubba looked away from the TV again and seemed thoughtful. "Guess so. His mail was piled up in front of his door. I wondered why he'd leave it there," he answered slowly. Then his attention was immediately diverted back to the TV.

Uncurling from the sofa, I let the blanket I'd wrapped around me slid down and told Bubba, "Well, why don't you spend the day here in the emergency hidey-hole that Bill made. I'll go open it up and make sure it's ready for you."

Bubba nodded, but like a little kid absorbed in their favorite show, I wasn't really sure he'd heard me.

Several weeks before, Bill had asked me if he could construct an emergency sleeping space for himself in my home. He explained that he didn't think he'd need it, but he all vampires liked to have backups. Just in case. I'd agreed since I figured if he didn't need it, it might come in handy for Bubba since I seemed to have become yet another unofficial babysitter for the man from Memphis when he was staying in the area.

Not that I was complaining after tonight. I was counting my lucky stars that Bubba had once again been there for me. Most of the vampires passed him around since he was sort of like an idiot royalty to them. Not much was expected of him, and they all took turns housing him. After tonight, I wouldn't mind having to keep him around. He'd certainly saved my butt. And slow or not, he was sure useful if people were going to keep attacking me.

Going to the spare bedroom across the hall from my own room, I opened the closet and pulled out the old suitcases and boxes that covered the trap door to conceal it. When I pulled up the swinging trapdoor, I was surprised to find that it wasn't empty.

"What the heck is all this?" I whispered to myself.

Reaching into the space below the floor, I pulled out several boxes. They were filled with what looked like a computer CPU, a laptop, stacks of files, and a lot of computer discs. Bill was the only one who knew about this little space since he'd built it, so he'd obviously hidden these boxes here, but why?

Knowing they couldn't stay here since Bubba needed the space, I carted them to the attic for safekeeping. They must be important if Bill felt the need to hide them in my house, and I'd try to keep them hidden. For now.

As I laid a pillow and blanket in the hidey-hole for Bubba, I couldn't help but wonder just what was on those discs and computers. I'd seen Bill working furiously on a computer one night when I'd dropped some contractor's names and phone numbers off for work that needed to be done on the Compton place, but he'd been real evasive when I asked what he was working on.

I stayed in the little bedroom and called out to Bubba. When he joined me by the open closet, I gestured to the little sleeping space. "Bill built this for a vampire to sleep safely in, so you make sure you get in there before dawn. I'm going to head to bed myself." I paused and thought for a moment. "You won't miss when dawn is, will you?" I wondered.

"No ma'am. Thank you for letting me stay, Miss Sookie," Bubba answered sheepishly.

On impulse, I carefully kissed his cheek and said good-night.

"Can I keep watching the movie, Miss Sookie? I don't wanna keep you awake none," he asked in a worried voice.

The movie was still playing in the other room, but I could barely hear it anyway. "Of course you can, Bubba. Watch anything you'd like. Just make sure you're tucked in before dawn."

He smiled brightly. "You sure are sweet to me, Miss Sookie."

I'd already given up trying to get him to call me just "Sookie," so I just shook my head and headed for my bedroom. Pausing in the doorway, I called out to Bubba's retreating form, "Bubba, if a dog shows up here tonight, you have to be sure to leave him be too, okay? He's my dog, Dean, and he's off-limits like Tina is." I wasn't sure if he would drink dog blood too, but I thought it was better safe than sorry.

He turned back towards me, and I saw the look of disappointment in his eyes. "Aww ... okay, Miss Sookie. Maybe Eric or Miss Pam will have a nice cat for me tomorrow night."

I fought to keep the smile on my face and nodded, not wanting to think about just where Eric or Pam were finding cats for Bubba to eat or drink or whatever. I just didn't want to think about it.

I curled up on my bed, Tina instantly joining me. She always seemed to sense that it was dangerous to be loose around the house when Bubba was here, so she mostly stayed hidden in my bedroom. And they said animals were dumb.

My sleep was light for several hours, half expecting Eric or Pam to show up, but neither did and I eventually drifted off into a deep sleep. But still, I kept wondering where Bill was, and if it had anything to do with why someone was trying to grab me.

* * *

When I woke the next afternoon, I stretched lazily in the afternoon sun spilling across my bed. But I paused mid-stretch when I realized I could hear the TV playing in the living room.

Sliding a pair of sweatpants on, I skidded out into the living room, convinced I was going to find the smoking remains of the former king, and cursing myself for not making sure he would get into the hidey-hole before dawn.

"Sam! What are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.

He was lounging on the couch in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that I recognized as being some extra clothes he kept at my place to avoid another awkward incident if Dean spent the night again.

"I told you I'd come by last night, cher," he answered, switching the TV off and standing up.

"Yeah, but I figured you'd have to be to the bar by now." It was afternoon, and I wasn't on the schedule until the later shift, so I hadn't been too concerned about sleeping in a little.

"Terry can open the bar from time to time. And Arlene and Charlsie are both there to help him. Figured I'd stay here until we know what's going on."

The smell of coffee wafted to my nose from the kitchen, and I followed the smell until I was pouring myself a steaming cup. I even reached out and refilled the cup Sam held, grateful that he'd made my morning pick-me-up.

I pointed to the table for Sam to sit down and asked, "You want lunch or breakfast?"

Sam shrugged. "I'm none too picky," he answered.

"Breakfast it is then," I told him as I got out the old cast-iron skillet. I had vague memories of Gran frying Johnnycakes in it, and I remembered Jeanie teaching me to cook and lecturing me that there was nothing better than a well seasoned cast-iron skillet.

I fried up a quick breakfast and set it down at the table. "So what did Eric find out last night?" I questioned as I started digging in.

Sam wiped his mouth off and answered, "We found plenty of evidence in that guy's car to suggest that he was looking to kidnap someone. But not much else. I'm guessing from his vest that he's part of some kind of Were gang, but I don't know why he'd want to grab you and Eric wasn't sharing much." Sam's face was grim and it was obvious that he didn't like Eric not sharing information.

Well that made two of us.

"I thought he'd at least stop by here last night after he checked things out at the bar," I told Sam.

He shook his head. "By the time he got to Bon Temps and looked at the body it was getting close to dawn. He said he'd swing by at first dark to talk with you."

"Well, he's gonna have to come to the bar then. I'm working the late shift."

Sam shook his head again. "You're taking the night off and I'm gonna stay here with you until dark when Eric, Pam or Chow can come by to watch you."

I knew the futility in arguing, these were Eric's orders, not Sam's, so I asked my next question. "Who's Chow?"

"Eric said he's the new bartender at Fangtasia," he answered with a careless shrug.

I stifled a sigh. Hopefully he wasn't like the last one, or I'd rather not meet him. "Was Bubba still here when you got here?"

"Naw, it was just after sunrise when I got here. He must'a gone across the cemetery to Bill's place already. Eric said it's Bill's turn to have him or something."

I wasn't about to point out that Bubba was probably in my spare room, but it did bring up another issue. I gathered up the dishes and started washing them up. Looking over my shoulder at Sam still seated at the table, I told him, "You know, I cooked, and now I'm washing. The least you could do is rinse or dry."

Sam's face turned pink with a sheepish expression. "Sorry," he mumbled as he took the dishes from me and began rinsing then drying them.

"I don't think Bill's home, actually," I told Sam as I thought about things.

Sam looked puzzled too. "That's where Eric said Bubba would be spending the day. Why wouldn't he be around?"

"I don't know, but I haven't seen him in about a week now, and Bubba said the mail was piling up at Bill's place." I thought for a moment and added, "I'm gonna head over there and see what's going on."

Sam jumped up in front of me. "No way Sookie. If there is something going on, you should stay here."

"But what if Bill really is missing?"

Sam grumbled under his breath. He knew I was friends with Bill and didn't care for it. "Fine," he gritted out. "I'll go check his place out, but you're staying here. Do you have any kind of weapon or anything in case someone comes while I'm checking Bill's place out?"

I walked over to the closet where I'd stashed Jason's shotgun, and pumped the lever, spitting out one of the 12-gauge slugs as another slid into the chamber. "I'm good," I assured him.

He nodded and lectured, "Lock the door as soon as I go out and stay here until I get back."

I did as I was told, and went back to my room to dress and started cleaning up a bit while I waited. I was folding some clean clothes on the kitchen table when Sam returned, knocking at the door to announce his return.

Swinging the door open, I turned back to my current task as Sam began to admonish me. "You didn't even call out to see who was at the door, Sookie. You gotta be more careful, someone is trying to hurt you."

I kept folding clothes, briefly pausing to touch my head. "Knew it was you. I could hear you hoping Terry was doing all right at the bar and thinking about what a mess Bill's place is."

I was worried about what could have happened to Bill, but I kept my hands busy hoping it would keep my mind busy too and not wondering about what might have happened to him.

When Sam didn't say anything, I prompted, "So? What did you find?"

Sam sat down at the table and grabbed a few towels to fold. He wasn't folding them the way I did, but I didn't stop him. "The place looks like someone went through it looking for something. But I don't see any signs that anyone was hurt or anything there."

Which meant Bill at least hadn't met his final death. At least not at his house.

"What?" I pushed when I saw Sam's brow furrow.

"I could smell that Eric had been there sometime last night, but that was the only scent I recognized."

"Why was Eric there?" I wondered.

Sam shook his head. "Maybe he was looking for Bill too. Or something else. From the tossed look of the place, it seemed that they were looking for something besides Bill."

My mind drifted to the several boxes that were now in my attic. I knew without a doubt that whoever had broken into Bill's place was looking for the contents of those boxes. Question was: was Eric looking for those boxes too or just their owner?

* * *

An hour or so after first dark, my front door opened and Eric strode in. Sam and I were just finishing up cleaning dishes from supper. He'd been much quicker to help with the clean-up this time without me telling him to.

"You may leave now," Eric told Sam. It bugged me that Eric just barged into my house and ordered Sam around, but as much as I would have liked to rescind his invitation, I knew it was safer not to. I didn't want to end up in a situation where someone was attacking me, again, and he couldn't get in and had to wait for me to invite him.

Sam looked at me in question. "Go ahead, Sam. I'm just fine," I assured him. He started pulling his t-shirt off as he made his way to the back door, and I knew I'd find the rest of his clothes on the back steps after he'd gone.

Bubba had woken shortly after dark, and had been passing his time sitting in the living room watching another movie, but he came into the kitchen when he heard Eric's voice. Sam had assumed Bubba came across the cemetery from Bill's when he woke, and I let him make that assumption.

"Wait outside, Bubba," Eric told him.

"Sure thing. Thank you, Miss Sookie," Bubba said with a nod and went out the back door.

"Can Pam and Chow come in?" Eric asked me.

I could tell by the voids that two vampires waited outside the front door, so I opened it to find the two vampires sitting on my porch swing.

"Please come in," I told them and turned to walk back into the kitchen. Pam and Chow, an Asian looking vampire, followed me into the house. The pair wandered around the first floor, obviously taking in every detail, though I doubted that there was much of interest to see.

The kitchen table seemed like the best place to have a discussion, so I folded myself into one of the chairs. Since Eric had already been in my house, he followed me and took a seat at the table too. Pam and Chow soon followed.

Since I'd never seen Chow before, I took the opportunity to look him over. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but instead was sporting a red vest. Guess it was nice not having to worry about getting cold. But his vest did display the array of dark blue tattoos that covered his arms and chest. I wasn't sure what they were, but they were strangely elegant looking. They weren't the crude prison tattoos that my attacker from last night had displayed.

I even did a double-take as I looked at Pam. She wasn't wearing the long, flowing, Goth inspired clothes that I was used to seeing on her. But then again, I'd only really seen her twice, both times had been at Fangtasia. It appeared that she preferred soccer-mom attire when she wasn't at their bar. Who would have imagined a vampire preferring to look like a suburban housewife.

Looking back at Eric, I saw that he was slightly scowling, but his face became that carefully blank mask again when he saw my gaze shift. Guess he didn't like me assessing the other two vampires.

"So what's going on?" I asked. "Have you found out anything about Bill?"

"A little," Eric answered.

I waited and then gestured for him to continue.

"It appears that Bill has been kidnapped," he supplied.

"Who would do that?" I wondered.

"We aren't sure," Chow said, speaking for the first time. He had a slight accent, but spoke very clearly. "The witnesses are not agreeing."

"What witnesses? What happened?" I asked, getting more and more confused.

"It appears Bill went to Mississippi at his maker's request," Pam added helpfully. "He was to have returned to Bon Temps to finish his matters here several days ago."

"What do you mean finish his matters here? And what's a maker? Do you mean the vampire that made him into a vampire?"

"Yes, Sookie," Eric answered. "His maker, Lorena, requested his presence in Mississippi. From the message he left with Pam, it seems she had called him to her side once again. He was returning to Bon Temps to close matters here before he left again."

I looked down at the table as I felt tears sting my eyes. I knew it shouldn't matter, but it hurt to know that Bill had been going to leave. Friends weren't easy for me to make. "Was he even planning to say good-bye to me?" I asked in a low voice. It came out barely more than a whisper, but I knew all three of the vampires would be able to hear.

Looking up, I saw three uncomfortable looking vampires. Female emotions didn't seem to be their forte.

"He planned to pass along a note explaining his departure as well as make some arrangements for your care," Pam explained.

Eric shot her a look that clearly said he didn't want her saying as much as she had, and she fell silent again.

Feeling hurt that Bill had simply planned to send me a note, I huffed, "I don't know why the hell he thought he'd have to arrange for my care. I can take care of myself just fine."

Eric's eyes were narrowed as he spoke, "Perhaps he felt responsibility for taking care of his human."

My eyes shot up to his. "I've told you once, and I'll tell you again. I. Am. My. Own. I don't _belong_ to anyone!"

His eyes narrowed even more. "Vampires view their dalliances with humans differently."

"We were just friends," I sputtered in confusion.

Eric kept staring at me intently, and both Pam and Chow were glancing back and forth between us. I turned to them and asked them to explain. "So Bill went to Mississippi, but what happened to make you think he'd been kidnapped?"

Between Chow and Pam the story came out that Bill had been set to fly back to Louisiana when his coffin disappeared at the Anubis Airlines.

"So let me question the humans who work there," I reasoned.

Eric shook his head, finally answering instead of glaring at me. "If they were under our dominion, that would be the logical thing to do. But unfortunately, they're not."

"So whose 'dominion' are they under?" I pressed, my hands making air quotes. Sometimes the formal way vampires spoke just annoyed me.

"These humans are under the _dominion_ of the king of Mississippi, Russell Edgington," Eric answered grimly.

_Guess the formal talk was called for then,_ I thought with more annoyance.

"I've had enough of vampire royalty," I muttered. Eric's head tilted at that, but he didn't ask. Pam had already had me tell her everything I could about the queen's visit when I'd been to Fangtasia a few weeks back. I was sure she'd repeated every word of it to Eric. "So we can't just ask to talk to his humans to find out about Bill's disappearance?"

"It would not be wise if Bill was taken on his orders," Chow offered.

Of course. Because nothing could be that simple.

"But I thought it was his maker that wanted him. Why would this Edgington guy want him? And I'm guessing since that man who attacked me last night was from Mississippi too, it has something to do with all this," I said waving my hand around.

"Bill's been working on a special little project for the queen," Eric answered, his eyes carefully trained on mine. "Do you know anything about it?"

"What project?" I asked automatically, my face looking carefully confused. Lying had become second-nature after all these years. Well, and I really didn't know about any project that Bill had been working on, but I was sure that was what was in my attic. And since he'd hidden it here instead of at his own place or even giving it to Eric, there had to be a good reason.

Eric looked quickly to Pam and Chow before he focused on me and accused, "That is a little hard to believe, Sookie. You seem to have been spending a great deal of time with Bill."

I shifted to the front of my seat to glare across the corner of the table at Eric. "How come? Yes, Bill is my friend, but it's not like we're joined at the hip. There's obviously a lot he hasn't told me, and I sure as hell don't tell him everything in my life."

"You think we'll believe that Bill didn't tell you what he was working on?"

"Sure, 'cause he didn't," I answered truthfully. There was no need to lie here, he really hadn't told me anything.

Eric leaned forward, bringing his head closer to mine across the corner of the table. "Here's what I'm going to do," he explained. "I can't tell if you're lying or not, which is remarkable. For your sake, I hope you are telling the truth. I could torture you until you told me the truth, or until I was sure you had been telling me the truth from the beginning."

I fell back in my chair away from him at that. His eyes were hard and cold. I could see that he meant every word he was saying.

"But," he continued, "that might damage you too badly for the other part of my plan. And really, it doesn't make that much difference if you know what Bill has been doing behind our backs or not."

My heart was pounding now at his blatant threat, but I still took note of his words. Behind "our" backs. Guess he didn't like not knowing what the vampires in his area were up to. Part of me was more than a little angry to have landed in the middle of whatever mess Bill was in. Was it too much to ask for a quiet life?

"That got a reaction," Pam added to Eric.

"But not the one I expected," Eric responded.

"Well, talk of torture does tend to get reactions out of people," I snapped at them both.

Eric looked back at Pam and Chow again. "You and Chow wait outside," he directed Pam. After a pointed look to Eric, she left with Chow trailing behind her.

My heart started thundering even more at being left alone with Eric. Maybe he would decide torture was the way to go.

Eric pulled his chair around the corner and sat in front of me, turning my chair to face his by hooking one heel on the leg of my chair and pulling it towards him.

There was nothing I could do to stop him, so I kept my eyes trained on my hands, waiting to see what he would do. I considered rescinding his invitation, but some part of me kept saying that Eric wouldn't really kill me, not if he could help it. But then again, that was probably the same part of me that talked myself into doing lots of stupid things.

"I don't enjoy seeing you scared of me," Eric said, his face dropping close to mine as he spoke into my ear. "I have always been very fond of you."

My head snapped up to face him, somehow feeling emboldened by his admission. "It's hard not to be at least a little frightened when someone more powerful than you talks so causally about torturing you!"

His hand reached up to twirl a strand of hair between his fingers. "It's hard to imagine you frightened by anything. You have been attacked on multiple occasions, yet I don't think you even fear me at all."

The look on his face was somehow both smug and thoughtful. I pushed hard on his chest, trying to force him out of my personal space, but he didn't move an inch. At least not away from me.

My lips suddenly connected with his cool flesh as he pulled me closer. I was stunned for a moment, and gasped at his sudden attack. Eric used it to his advantage, his tongue easily darting past my lips to slide against my own. I moaned at the sensations. I'd kissed a few men before, but none of them had been like this. For once, I wasn't plunged into anyone's thoughts. I was able to focus solely on the sensations of the cool moist tongue that carefully curled against my own before retreating and darting forward again.

Somehow I had ended up straddling Eric's lap, my chest flush against his with his hands splayed across my back. One of his hands slid downwards, slowly kneading my butt as his other hand smoothed through my hair. Bolstered by the satisfied sounds Eric was making, and his obvious pleasure as he pressed against me, I pushed my own tongue forward, sliding it past his own lips. His hand curled in my hair, tightly griping a handful as he moaned in my mouth.

A thousand years had made Eric one hell of a kisser, but it was incredibly satisfying and empowering to elicit such deep moans from him with my actions. Gaining more confidence, I let my tongue curl around one of his descended fangs. They were more pointed than I thought, and I felt my tongue slice against their sharpness. My tongue retreated at the small sting, but Eric groaned even deeper and followed me with his own, sucking at the few drops that oozed from the cut.

Eric's tongue retreated from my mouth once more before thrusting back into mine again. My own hands had begun to smooth across his chest, but now they clutched at his t-shirt, bunching the material together as my tongue curled around his, lapping at the strange taste and texture suddenly coating his tongue. For a moment I thought it was my own blood from the cut on my tongue I was feeling. But I drew back with a gasp as I realized it was not my own blood. It had none of that normal coppery taste.

With a gasp I touched my fingers to my tongue, seeing them come away tinged with red. I could feel that the cut on my tongue was already healed, so it wasn't my blood. Eric had sliced his own tongue on his fang to force his blood into me. I jumped off of Eric's lap and grabbed a napkin off the countertop to wipe the blood from my tongue.

The look of satisfaction on Eric's face as he remained in his seat told me everything I needed to know.

"You asshole! You did that on purpose. Why the hell would you try to get me to swallow your blood?" But the answer came to me anyway.

After swallowing some of Long Shadow's blood, and being freaked out because I was glowing in the dark weeks later (not to mention all the other little differences), I had confronted Bill about the effects of vampire blood. He'd said vampires didn't normally give their blood to humans. Which led me to question in what cases they would.

"What, you want to keep tabs on me?" I shouted at him. The calculating gleam in his eyes was too much, and my hand reached out and slapped him, trying to knock it away. It did nothing. When I started to strike at him again, his hand darted out and grabbed mine, halting the movement.

He turned his face towards my hand and slowly licked at my palm. I couldn't decide whether my shudder was in revulsion or ecstasy. Maybe both. He certainly knew how to use that tongue.

He let go of my hand and I pulled it back to my side as he laughed. "See. You have no fear," he said, still chuckling.

"Why would you do that?" I asked him, falling back into my own chair.

He leaned forward in his chair, invading the space I had just created between us. "I have longed to kiss you for some time. Yield to me," he whispered in a husky voice.

"Not that," I muttered, my face hot and tingling. "Why would you try to give me your blood."

Again, the look of satisfaction told me it was more than try. I'd obviously swallowed at least some of that blood.

"You are intriguing to me. But you are also valuable. It would be good for me to be able to find you if you are in trouble." He grinned and added, "You seem to find trouble everywhere."

Bill had also told me that it enabled the vampire to sense the human's emotions. "I'm not real wild about you knowing what I'm feeling," I told him.

His grin was unrepentant. He dismissed it with a wave of the hand. "A side-effect to being able to know if you are in trouble and being able to find you."

He sat back away from me and we fell into silence.

Eric seemed to be able to sit in silence for long periods of time, but I couldn't take it. "So what's going on? Are you going to torture me or not? Are you my friend or my enemy? Are you going to help Bill or not? Or are you going to leave him to rot?"

He leaned back further and gave a short laugh. "You are too much." But the way he said it told me he didn't find it particularly endearing. "I'm not going to torture you. For one thing, I would hate to ruin that beautiful skin; one day, I will see all of it."

"In your dreams," I snorted.

He grinned, looking me up and down. "What dreams they would be."

He folded his hands behind his head and said almost to himself, "You won't always be so afraid of me."

"So what are you doing about Bill," I repeated, trying to get him back on track. "And why did that guy try to grab me? If they've got Bill, why don't they keep after him until they get this project of his?"

Eric leaned forward again, and was once again serious. "It could be that they think you might know about his work, or that they can perhaps use you against him to get answers. Either way, it seems he has revealed his fondness for you." His last words came out almost clipped and I wondered if there wasn't a touch of jealousy there. He pressed on, "It is more than just your life that is at stake here, Sookie. They will keep looking for you until they find you or Bill's project, but it's my job and my life that are at stake too, not just yours and Bill's."

"Why would your life be in danger?" I asked in surprise. "And why do you have to be the one to look for him. You said it was a project for the queen, why doesn't she go look for him?"

Eric looked uncomfortable and admitted, "She does not know Bill is missing."

"Why not?"

"We have not told her."

I kept asking. "Well, why not?"

"She would punish us."

"Why?" I repeated.

"For letting something happen to Bill, when he was doing a special project for her."

I couldn't help the morbid curiosity. "What would that punishment be?"

"Oh, with her it's difficult to tell." He let out a choked laugh that said he didn't want to imagine what it could be. "Something very unpleasant."

He fell silent again and looked thoughtful.

"Eric, really, what will the queen do to you if you can't produce Bill on the date her project is due?"

"Sookie, you really don't want to know," he explained. It was hard to reconcile that with the small woman who had come to visit me, but at the same time it wasn't. There was something in her eyes that told me she would do anything if it needed to be done. "Producing his work would be good enough. Bill's actual presence would just be a bonus."

"So you'd just leave him to rot if you could get your hands on his project?" I asked in shock.

Eric shrugged. "I protect those who owe me fealty, but if losing one vampire protects the rest of those who owe me fealty, so be it."

My resolve was strengthened at that admission. Bill had helped me so much with my telepathy. No one had ever tried to actually help me with it before. If I could, I would try to help him.

"What do you want from me?" I asked him.

Eric nodded. "As you work for me, I want you to travel to Jackson and listen to some humans that are close to Russell and his second Betty Jo Pickard. See if you can discover any clues to Bill's whereabouts."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Sadly, I cannot help you. Traveling into another vampire's kingdom without authorization could start a war between kingdoms."

"So what? Am I suppose to go alone?" I asked incredulously.

"I am sending you a contact tomorrow. He lives in Shreveport, but he has a second apartment in Jackson. He is a Were and has friends among the supernatural community there, the vampires, shifters, and Weres. Through him you can meet some of them, and their human employees."

Wow. Tomorrow. Guess it was best to get this over with. Best not to sit around and wait for another Were to come grab me.

"What about this Were you're sending me with? Can I trust him?" I wondered. I'd already been attacked by one.

"He is a Were," Eric answered dismissively, "so he is scum. But he is more reliable than some others and he owes me a big personal favor."

I nodded and absorbed Eric's words.

"He will keep you safe," Eric assured me as he stood. "You will find Bill, he will finish his project and all will be well," he continued assuring me in a confident tone.

I stood and looked up at him. I wish I felt that confident.

"To answer your question: I am your friend, and that will last as long as I can be your friend without jeopardizing my own life. Or the future of my area."

I could say one thing for Eric. He was brutally honest. But at least you didn't have to guess at where you stood with him.

My body felt empty and exhausted. But I just couldn't let Eric get away with one thing. "I'm going to nail your ass later for making me take your blood."

We were walking towards the door as I spoke. Eric laughed and turned back towards me. "Sookie, you can nail my ass anytime."

My face blushed again as I realized how that came out. Worse, now I knew Eric could feel my embarrassment.

He laughed all the way out to his car. I'm sure he was laughing as he drove away too.

Trudging up the stairs to the attic, I looked through the boxes Bill had left behind. What the hell was on them that was worth mine, Eric's and Bill's lives?

One thing was for sure though, no matter how pissed I was at Bill for dragging me into this mess, I wasn't going to hang him out to dry. I owed him that much for being the only person who had ever helped me with my telepathy.

But I couldn't help but wonder how sad my life had become that I had to rush to the aid of a friend that had drug me into a mess that had people trying to kidnap me.

There was too much to do to get ready for tomorrow though. I'd have to examine my attachment to my few friends later.

Like after I had rescued Bill.

That nagging desire rose up in me again, telling me that I could always cut all those attachments and leave. I'd done it before.

The only difference was, I'd never really had friends like this before. Or family.

Were they worth the cost?

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the delay in getting the chapter out. I've been busy with work, but finally made myself sit down today and knock this chapter out. It ended up longer than I had thought it would, so I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Any dialogue you recognize does come from Harris, but I have twisted and changed a lot of it too. And as I said before, there are certain things in the series that are going to be left out and other things that are being altered. Hope it's been believable so far. **

**Today (since it is the 10****th**** now I guess) I will be in the Fangreader's chat room again, this time discussing my one-shot story for the Age of Eric contest, **_**Soiled Dove of Deadwood**_**. In honor of that, I even got around to making some banners for that story. You can find them in my profile. **

**If you'd like to be part of the chat and ask me any questions about the story (and are at least 18 years old) send an email to fangreaders (at) gmail . com (take out the spaces) to get your invite to the chat room. Chats start every day at 9 PM GMT (4 PM EST). Hope to see some of you there. **

**Also, if you haven't read them, read the Nigh Huntress series by Jeanie Frost. I just finally finished her latest book in the series, and it was great! If you like the SVM series, you'll love this one. Great books, all of them! And yes, as one reader wondered, I did give a bit of a nod to her series with one of Eric's comments from chapter 11. I love her character, Bones. Mmmmm ... I think it's the English accent. **

**Anyway, let me know what you think, and sorry for not responding to reviews again. Between work and trying to write I've been a fail at replying to everyone, but I do appreciate your thoughts!**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


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